Neither Rhyme Nor Reason
by CelticX
Summary: A seriously eclectic collection of MSGM short stories and one-shots that I hope you find enjoyable.
1. Timing

A/N: Just a little something to let you all know that I'm still alive ^_^

As the title says, there will be no rhyme or reason for any of the following stories. This will be a series of one-shots which may or may not have any tie-ins with my other stories, but just things that I ended up writing for various reasons that certainly seemed to be valid at the time. Some will be simple fluff. Some will be kind of odd (or downright kinky) or just plain weird (no flames please. I'll add a warning at the beginning of those stories so that you can skip them if you want to). Some will be simple character studies for those secondary characters in the anime and light novels that I find intriguing. And some, like this first one, may be a little on the dark side. Since I already know that some of these stories will be "off-color" I have given the series as a whole an "M" rating.

As always, your comments and reviews would be greatly appreciated.

Legal: I do not own MSGM or any of its characters. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno, may she decide to pick up her pen (or laptop) SOON! We miss you!

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><p><strong>Timing<strong>

It seemed like it was always just a matter of timing.

"I'm sorry, Sei," Youko said with a hitch of sorrow in her voice and pain evident in her dark, hazel eyes, "but I couldn't wait forever. I realized how much I loved you when you were with Shiori, but I had to hold my feelings back. Then, when Shiori left and you changed so much, I knew that you weren't ready for another relationship so soon. So I waited, and I waited, and I waited."

Sei listened silently as Youko spoke her quiet words of devastation. It had been more than three years since Shiori had left her at that train station on Christmas Eve. It had taken that long for her to finally come to grips with the fact that she loved Youko and wanted to be with her for the rest of her life. Three long, wasted years.

"And when I realized that you already knew how I felt, but still you didn't want to acknowledge it, I thought it might be better for me in the long run; that you would never see me as a potential partner. So when I came to Todai I immersed myself into my coursework. If I wasn't in class or the library studying, it was because I was sleeping. And then, when I finally came to see that I was simply running away from any kind of life I might have for myself, I started going to study groups. I made friends, went to movies and to bars. I went to dances and parties. And I met Hiroki-kun."

Youko had started off just standing there in front of the girl she had loved for so long, hands clasped together to try to keep them from shaking, until her need to move, to do something other than stand idly as she destroyed forever what might once have been, led her to start clearing the debris of cups and plates from her dinner with Hiroki. Her black hair, longer then it had been during her time at Lillian, kept falling in her face, hiding her eyes and the pain and sorrow that shone in them. Sei couldn't move as she silently watched the young woman wander about the room as she tried to explain her decision. As far as Sei was concerned it was simply a litany of all of the mistakes Sei had made over the past three years.

"He was fun. He cared for me. He made me laugh. He made me happy. He made me see that there was a life outside of school, outside of my family and outside the Yamayurikai. Even still, I hoped that there might be some chance for you and me, but we rarely got together and then only with the other Roses; never just the two of us alone."

Sei had been too scared - too frightened of another loss, of rejection - despite knowing how Youko felt. She may have worn the mask of the fun-loving and flirty 'bian, but underneath she was still just a scared little girl, searching desperately for happiness but too afraid of being left alone again, of being hurt again, to take that next step.

"I figured that you didn't want to be alone with me, that my love for you was a bother and a nuisance, so I decided to give up and move on. I started to date Hiroki-kun seriously, and I realized that I had feelings for him; maybe not the love that I could have had with you, but still a love strong enough that it might last and hopefully make me happy. When he asked me to marry him last month, I said 'yes' and accepted his ring. We won't get married until after we both graduate, I still want to have a law career and so does he, but we will be getting married," Youko said, seeming to be trying to convince herself of this truth as she stopped her worthless movements and stared at the carpet, unable to bring herself to look into Sei's eyes to see what might be there.

"I appreciate that you love me, Sei. I know how much it took for you to come here and tell me that, but it's too late. I don't . . . no, I _can't_ feel that way about you anymore. It hurts too much."

When Sei had finally gotten up the courage to try again, to drive into Tokyo and to knock on Youko's apartment door, it was to find a young man opening the door and telling Youko that she had a visitor. He must have read the mood because he quickly excused himself, telling Youko that he would see her tomorrow before he gave her a kiss on the cheek and left the two of them alone together. The look in Youko's eyes at that moment was enough to already tell her what Youko was saying now: that it was too late. That she had missed her one opportunity for true happiness in this lifetime. That the two of them could not now, or ever be, the lovers that she so desperately wanted.

"I'm sorry, Sei," Youko said softly to the silent girl as Sei simply turned and headed out the door, back into the street and to her car.

But Sei wasn't ready for the long, dark drive back to Musashino and her lonely dorm room just then. She was angry, hurt, and numb all at the same time. She needed to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She needed time to process everything that had happened and everything that Youko had said. So she bypassed her car and, tucking her hands deeply into the front pockets of her jeans, started walking. The clouds covering the night sky eventually began to release the cold drops of rain that they had been holding back, but Sei either didn't realize it or didn't care. She simply continued walking, taking no notice of where she was going, her mind elsewhere, head down as the wind whipped the heavy drops past her quickly chilling body.

She walked and she walked, it seemed like hours, until she was forced to slow at an intersection as the "Do Not Walk" sign started flashing at her, playing its warning jingle. On, off, on, off, on, off, until it stayed lit, stopping her in her tracks just like Youko's words had stopped any chance of a happy future for her. She turned to look left and right down the street. There wasn't much traffic on this rainy night. A few cars whizzed by, sprays of dirty water flying from their tires, coming from somewhere, heading to somewhere else.

Where was Sei going? Where did she _have_ to go? Anywhere?

Sei stood at the curb, the "Do Not Walk" sign staring unblinkingly at her as she watched a heavy box truck splashing its way down the narrow street, moving too fast for the road conditions.

Was there anywhere for her now? Now that Youko was gone forever. Was there any_one_ for her now?

The truck continued its approach, still moving too quickly, as if it was trying to beat the light, its driver intent on where he was going, not on where he was now. She could even see the determined look in his eyes. And then something suddenly occurred to Sei as she watched the truck bearing down on the intersection.

Yes, it was all just a matter of timing.

She lifted her foot to take a step off of the curb.

"The Sato Sei that _I_ know would _never_ take such a cowardly path," a chill voice came from the darkness off to her right, the shockingly unexpected sound stopping all movement. Even the sounds of the city seemed muted, as if it were holding its breath waiting to see what the blonde would do. "The Sato Sei that _I_ know would fight for what she wants or, if she knew the fight to be fruitless, she would look elsewhere to find what was missing from her life," came the cold voice again.

As she watched the speeding truck fly past, the water spraying from its large tires drenching her even further, Sei gingerly put her foot back down on the sidewalk and turned slowly, her entire body turning away from the roadway, just as she had been taught those many years ago at Lillian, so that she could face her . . . accuser? Or was it her savior?

The brown pigtails were the same, but the maturity . . . and anger . . . in those deep brown eyes was new.

"Yumi-chan . . . ?"

"That's 'Yumi-_sama_' to you, Sei-san . . . at least until you can prove to me that you are no longer going to act like some love-struck twelve year old that has just been rejected by the boy she had a crush on," the smaller girl said, her voice thick with contempt as she stepped from the darkness to stand under the yellow light of a streetlamp. She was wearing a long red and black plaid skirt with knee-high black boots and a white, pearl buttoned blouse that was currently plastered to her skin from the heavy rain. "Imagine my surprise when I happen to see an old friend standing pensively on a street corner in the pouring rain while I calmly drove by in my nice warm car. Then imagine my shock as I see the _intent_ behind those grey eyes that I thought I knew so well!

"What do you have to say for yourself young lady?" Yumi asked in the same tone of voice her mother had used on her so many times. She even crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot as she waited for the answer.

"Ah, I . . ." Sei stammered, not sure how to deal with this new Yumi. It suddenly occurred to her that she was standing on a street corner, in the rain, water sluicing down her face, soaked to the skin . . . and she wasn't angry anymore. She wasn't confused anymore. She still hurt, a lot, but it wasn't that blinding pain that it had been . . . was it only moments before? What she _was_ was embarrassed! "I'm a fool," she finished lamely, hanging her head in shame.

"You won't get an argument from me," Yumi said sternly, but then a tenderness crept into her eyes as Sei moved slowly towards her, away from the edge of the road. "Shall we take this conversation indoors where it is a little dryer and, hopefully, a lot warmer?" she asked quietly. "There's a coffee shop not too far away, or . . . my apartment is also nearby."

-oo-

Sei had forgotten that Yumi had entered AIIT to study architecture after she had graduated from Lillian. She had also somehow forgotten how devastated Yumi had been when Sachiko had gone ahead with her arranged marriage to Suguru Kashiwagi even after Yumi had somehow found the courage and strength to confess her feelings for the raven haired heiress. If _anyone_ knew what it was like to have your life destroyed by the one you love it was Yumi-chan. It had taken Sei and the remaining members of the Yamayurikai almost a year to help the young woman get over the blow.

"A fine pair we make, huh," Sei chuckled as she sat cross-legged on the floor in Yumi's tiny apartment, a mug of hot coffee in her hand. She was currently wearing a much too short terrycloth robe that Yumi had lent her after taking a hot shower. Yumi had just sat down on the old and dilapidated sofa across from her, her head wrapped in a towel, another robe wrapped around her body, and a cup of tea in her own small hands. The brown eyed girl pulled her legs underneath her short, pink robe to sit on them and it was a testament to Sei's still roiling emotions that she didn't try to sneak a peak during the movement to see if Yumi was wearing any panties. A tiny sneeze finally caused her to raise her head to look at the young woman across from her.

"Just a couple of friends hanging out and having a drink," Yumi replied with a slight, shy smile as she used a tissue to wipe her nose. It was a look that Sei had seen many times over the past few years. It hammered home to her that, despite the strength and maturity she had seen in those eyes earlier, the girl sitting across from her was still 'her' Yumi, albeit a slightly older and world weary version. The girl's deep brown eyes still looked haunted with the pain she was suffering from her onee-sama's rejection of her love despite the time that had passed. "I would have thought you had read about it in the society papers like I did, but can I assume that you have just learned about Youko-sama's engagement?"

"Yeah, you might say that," Sei chuckled as she rubbed the back of her wet hair in her trademark show of confusion or embarrassment. "It seems that my timing, as usual, was a bit off. It's my own fault though. It's not like I haven't had enough time or enough people pushing me these last three years. I just . . ." she trailed off, dropping her head.

"I know," Yumi sighed in commiseration, her eyes focused on the cup in her hands. "Sometimes we just can't have what we want," she sniffed. The younger girl, no, _woman_, put her tea down and pulled the tissue from her robe's pocket and blew her nose, "but we have to remember that we have good friends that love and care for us." A tear welled up and trickled down her right cheek. "We can't forget about those that would be left behind . . . it – it would be mean . . . and selfish . . ." The tears started coming harder as the brown haired girl's words changed to hiccups of emotion. Sei got up from her seat on the floor and moved to sit next to her distraught kohai, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

"Shh, shh. It's going to be alright, Yumi-chan," Sei said in a soothing voice. It was always easier to take care of someone else, to help them with their troubles, than to think or worry about your own. Sei was able to bottle up her own despair and focus solely on the pain of the girl in her arms right then. She _should_ have focused on the eyes that suddenly turned up to her with a raging fire burning brightly.

"Alright? ALRIGHT? You were just going to leave me behind to deal with your mess? YOU BITCH!" Yumi screamed at her and started railing against her body. "What gives you the right to go off the deep end and take the easy way out? The coward's way out! If you wouldn't let ME do it why the HELL should you get off the hook so easily?"

Sei took the blows and the pounding of tiny fists against her shoulders and chest as she pulled Yumi even tighter into her embrace. She knew she deserved every bit of the girl's anger and pain. She _had_ been thinking only of herself; her own pain. It had been Sei that had found Yumi sitting in a pool of her own blood, her wrists slashed haphazardly with a kitchen knife as she leaned against the bathtub in her parent's house. She had been going over to check on her shortly after her breakup with Sachiko only to find the young girl crying softly, nearly unconscious on her bathroom floor. The ensuing panic, hospitalization, and slow recovery should have impressed upon the grey eyed blonde how those left behind would be impacted by one brief moment of insanity. The scars on those thin arms were still noticeable against the paleness of her skin even after so many months.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Yumi-chan," she whispered as the small girl continued to pound her. Her own tears slipped down her cheeks to fall and hide within the thick strands of Yumi's brown tresses after her hair towel had come loose and fallen into her lap. Yumi's face now lay buried against Sei's chest, its owner sobbing into her breasts.

"You're all I have left," Yumi whimpered as she finally began to run out of steam. "You can't leave me too, Sei . . . please . . . please don't leave me. I . . . I don't know what I'd do if you left me as well. You're . . . you're all I have left."

"What do you mean?" Sei asked quietly, surprised at the fresh pain she heard in Yumi's voice.

"They're all g-gone. As soon as I finished my th-therapy and moved here they all s-stopped talking to me. Yoshino, Shimako, Noriko, even Touko and Y-Yuuki . . . I guess the shame of a suicide attempt was too much for them to handle. They were nice enough to hang around to see me through the worst of it and then they simply faded away. None of them will even answer the phone anymore when I try to call them."

Sei was shocked speechless. Yes, she herself was guilty of not having spoken to Yumi in a while. The girl had usually called when Sei was out partying or, less often, studying at the library and she had a bad habit of leaving her cell phone in her dorm room. She only had her own laziness to blame for not calling her friend back more often. Even still it had only been a month or so since the two of them had last spoken. But for even her own _brother_ to ignore her after they had been so close . . . that was just too awful to think about!

"Yumi-chan, Yumi, why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep it to yourself?"

"You didn't need to have to deal with my problems, Sei-san," Yumi sniffed, her fingers tightly clutching the lapels of Sei's borrowed robe, refusing to look up again. "You had your own issues to deal with. You didn't need mine as well."

"You know I would have been there for you, Yumi," Sei cried. "I _should_ have been there for you. I was too wrapped up in my own problems that I didn't even take the time to see yours. I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

The two girls cried, holding each other close, each with a desperate need to simply feel the warmth of another body, a caring soul. Sei couldn't remember who had kissed whom first; whether she had kissed the top of Yumi's head or Yumi had kissed the sensitive skin between her breasts, but she suddenly found her lips pressed heavily against those of the younger girl, a soft but needful tongue dancing tantalizingly with her own. She pulled back quickly, shocked at herself for taking advantage of someone that was in so much pain, but Yumi's whimper of hurt and loss as she abruptly ended the kiss told her that it was alright; that it was something they both needed at the moment; just the simple sharing of love and caring; two hearts reaching out in need and meeting that need with their own. She brought her lips to Yumi's again, and she could feel the sigh of relief from the other girl; the sure belief that Sei would not leave her, at least not right now.

She _was_ sure that it was Yumi's hand that first made its way inside her robe to tenderly and timidly begin brushing the bare skin of her stomach. She moaned into Yumi's mouth at the feather light touch and that was all the permission the younger girl needed to move her right hand higher as her left slipped inside the robe and made its way tentatively down her body.

-oo-

The bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle was conspicuous as it sat parked across the street from the large church as the bells began to ring and the newly married couple exited the doors to loud cheering and thrown rice. The sun was doing its best to pierce the overcast sky, but the muted light was barely enough to color the world in shades of grey. Even still, Youko looked especially beautiful in her white satin and lace wedding dress. Sei even had to grudgingly admit to herself with a soft sigh that Hiroki-kun looked good in his black tux as they made their way through the throng to the limousine that was waiting for them at the curb.

Following the couple down the steps was a statuesque, raven haired beauty with sapphire blue eyes in an elegant, midnight blue gown. Holding her arm was an equally tall and handsome, dark haired young man. The two projected an aura of deep happiness and love that seemed as fake as their smiles to those that truly knew them. Yumi wouldn't have believed that Sachiko could be such a consummate actress if she hadn't seen it for herself. She must have been taking lessons from Yumi's former petite soeur.

Touko, Shimako, Yoshino, Rei, Noriko, and Eriko were all in the wedding party and calmly followed the happy couple down the stone steps towards the waiting limo. The photographer stopped everyone and had all the girls from the wedding party gather together for one last photo. Rei stood on the far left while Yoshino took the far right position. Shimako stood beside Rei while Noriko took her place next to Yoshino. Sachiko stood next to Youko with Eriko between the bride and Touko. You could almost see them all leaning slightly away from each other. It was painful to watch.

"You good?" Sei asked her girlfriend of two years, giving her hand a gentle squeeze as they leaned against the side of the car and watched the end of the wedding festivities.

"Yeah, I'm good," Yumi smiled up at her, returning the squeeze. "It still hurts a bit, but nowhere near as much as it did. And now I know that it's something that I can live with until it disappears entirely. Especially with you by my side," she told her lover with a much larger smile. "How about you?"

"Yeah, I'm good too," Sei replied with an attempt at a smirk that failed miserably. "Like you, it still hurts a little," she admitted ruefully, "but having someone beside me that loves me as much as you do makes it easier," she smiled and then turned more fully towards the shorter girl. "Shall we go?"

"Yes. I think we've both seen enough," the brown eyed girl sighed but followed it up with a shy grin. "For some reason I suddenly find myself wanting a long, hot shower."

Sei felt slightly unclean herself after watching the spectacle, but then she chuckled at the thought of what the two of them might end up doing after that shower . . . or even during.

The little yellow Beetle's tires gave a brief chirp as the car quickly moved away and down the road. Eight pairs of eyes looked up in time to see a woman with short blonde hair lean across the seat to give a quick kiss to a brunette in pigtails tied with ribbons. Eight pairs of eyes leaked an ocean of tears later that night as they remembered what they had had at one time and, for whatever reason, had mistakenly or stupidly given up.

While two pairs of eyes, one brown and one grey, looked lovingly at each other as they held each other close and promised to stay together forever.

Sometimes, in finding true happiness, timing is everything.

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><p>AN: Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this story (or not), please let me know with a review or PM. You know I always love hearing from you ^_^

Take care all,

CX


	2. The Music Room

A/N: Just a short, fluffy, Yumi/Sachiko one-shot for your reading pleasure.

For those of you that have already read it, this story is set just after Yumi's leukemia diagnosis in _Rosa Chinensis_. She and Sachiko are still somewhat trying to stay away from the topic at this time. This story also explains (at least in my mind) Yumi's ability with the piano.

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><p><strong>The Music Room<strong>

Yumi gathered her book bag and her coat and prepared to leave the music room when she suddenly stopped and wistfully looked around her, wondering how many more times she would get the opportunity to do this. Cleaning the music room was a duty shared among all of the Pine classes of Lillian, with first-years handling the cleaning duties on Mondays and Wednesdays, second-years on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and third-years taking Fridays and Saturdays. So it was that on this particular Thursday afternoon in early fall that the duty for cleaning the music room had fallen to Yumi and a couple of her classmates. The other girls had just left, heading either towards home or to turn the cleaning log in at the faculty office, and Yumi had been ready to follow them when a flash of sunlight had caught her eye. Turning to see what had captured her attention she had noticed the flicker of light off the black lacquer finish of the Yamaha grand piano.

She had just finished wiping dust from its sleek, shiny surface not so long ago, but that had been simple work with no real thought involved. Now she really looked at the instrument, but instead of looking forward to the time she had left to her, instead she fondly remembered the last time she had sat on that particular bench and played those particular keys.

It had been just a little over a year ago, during the first few weeks of the fall semester her first year at Lillian's high school division. Sachiko Ogasawara, her onee-sama now, had adamantly declared that she would make Yumi her petite soeur despite Yumi's having turned her down once already. Sei-sama and the other Roses, now graduated and in college, had decided to make a penalty game of it: If Sachiko could get Yumi to accept her rosary and become her petite soeur by the day before the presentation of the Yamayurikai's play _Cinderella_ then Yumi would play the role of Cinderella and dance with the president of the Hanadera student council instead of Sachiko. Although no one knew it at the time, the Hanadera Boys' Academy student council president, Suguru Kashiwagi, was both Sachiko's cousin and, at least at that time, fiancé. Sachiko had hated the man then, although she had mellowed a bit since the engagement had been called off, and so Sei's little penalty game was one that Sachiko had been determined to win.

With the word having traveled all over the school that Yumi had turned down the offer of becoming the petite soeur of the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, she had been hiding out in the music room after school to avoid all of the questions that were sure to be asked of her. It was there that Sachiko had found her, plunking away at this same grand piano, using only one finger to play the melody to Gounod's _Ave Maria_.

Yumi put her coat and book bag down on a chair and walked over to the piano, running her fingers along the dark ebony wood before taking a seat on the bench. She raised the fall that hid the keyboard and delicately brushed a fingernail along the 88 black and white ivory keys of the 50's era piano, a slight smile on her lips. Her hands easily found the starting position and, closing her eyes, she once again began playing that beautiful song.

It was the composition that Sachiko had been playing when Yumi had seen her at the Maria Ceremony her first year in high school. As her future grande soeur and partner had sat at the old organ in Lillian Chapel, the beautiful strains of _Ave Maria_ joining intricately with the colored shards of light streaming in through the stained glass window of the Madonna and Child to complete an artist's canvas that only God himself could create, the blue-eyed young woman was the image of an angel sent down from heaven to grace the girls of Lillian with her presence. At least that was how it seemed to Yumi at the time.

It occurred to her that it was probably at that very moment that she began to fall in love with the woman that had become both her temptress and her strength.

Yumi had returned to the chapel later that same day to sit at that very organ and play that same song just as Sachiko had; with her eyes closed and swaying slightly to the tempo as she allowed her body to drink in the music like a parched flower finally gifted with the heavenly blessings of a rain shower. Despite the words from Shimako-san that she played beautifully, Yumi would never have tried to compare her sorry attempt to the pure gift that Sachiko had bestowed upon them all.

Just as she had that day, Yumi came to the end of the song and, without missing a beat, began it again, reluctant to allow her memories to fade so quickly. Who knew how long she would have for such reminisences in the future. She was determined to spend every possible moment with Sachiko or, if she wasn't able to be with her, then to think about her and the life that she desperately prayed the two of them could share. Or to think about the times they had already spent together.

Back then, even after having had six years of piano instruction,* Yumi had not had the self-confidence to play the piano the way she thought it properly should. She had given up the expensive lessons after she had seemed to hit a plateau around her first year of middle school. She had felt inadequate, not good enough to play the instrument just as she felt that she was not good enough to become the petite soeur to probably the most famous, and certainly the most beautiful, girl at Lillian. On that day, when Sachiko had suddenly leaned over her and begun playing the left hand portion of _Ave Maria_ she had been so surprised that she had screamed like a banshee.

At the time she had not heard the object of her desires enter the room. Her indoor shoes and her manner of walking had been completely silent on the acoustically deadened flooring of the music room. Now, however, even though she could not hear her, she knew exactly when her onee-sama had silently entered the room behind her. Sachiko's clean smell, of the mildest fragrant roses in spring-time, was a treat to her nose and a comfort to her whenever the two were together. She slid over slightly to the right on the bench before Sachiko even got to her, allowing the Rosa Chinensis to join her. As soon as Sachiko was ready, Yumi removed her left hand from the keyboard to be instantly replaced by Sachiko with no break in the music. Yumi then snaked her left arm around Sachiko's waist and slid closer to her love so that they were pressed together from their hips to their knees. She laid her head on Sachiko's shoulder, savoring the smell and softness of her most important person. Sachiko mirrored Yumi's move, slipping her right arm around her petite soeur's waist and laying her head against the top of Yumi's.

"Feeling a little nostalgic today, Yumi?" Sachiko asked, a smile evident in her voice.

"Just a little, onee-sama," Yumi replied with a gentle smile on her own lips as she reveled in the pleasure of being able to hold Sachiko like this. "I was just remembering the last time I played this piano. I was playing the melody and you scared the . . . well, you scared me when you suddenly appeared at my side," Yumi giggled.

"I remember," the blue eyed princess responded with a chuckle. "You shrieked as if someone were killing you. How come you didn't scream like that today?"

"I know you better now onee-sama," Yumi smiled, "I smelled your perfume when you came in."

"I'm not wearing any perfume, Yumi," Sachiko said, a little confused.

"Your natural perfume, Sachiko; just like fresh roses" Yumi explained. She took a sniff and sighed, "I love that smell. It's so calming."

"Ah, I understand now," Sachiko giggled, "just like Yumi smells like fresh peaches."

"Eeehh?" Yumi exclaimed, raising her head and looking at her grande soeur, her fingers stilling on the piano keys.

"You didn't know?" Sachiko laughed, stopping her play as well. "You always smell like ripe peaches to me. I promise you, it is a wonderful smell; at least for me," Sachiko said as she cupped Yumi's cheek with her right hand. "I keep a bowl of peaches in my bedroom just so that I can fall asleep to a smell that is similar to yours. I haven't had a bad night's sleep since I started doing that."

Yumi blushed but leaned into Sachiko's hand, adoring the feel of her lover's soft skin against her cheek.

"Yumi, ever since you started playing the piano for me, I have always wondered why you didn't play the piano at Saionji-obaasama's birthday party this past summer. You are certainly good enough. You are probably better than anyone else that was at the party. Well, as it was, your song was the only music that put a smile on that old woman's face," she grinned, remembering her petite soeurs triumph, "but still . . ."

"I still did not have confidence in playing then, onee-sama," Yumi said with a smile. "It was only after you began complimenting me on my playing that I started feeling better about my capabilities. You remember how low my self-esteem was at that point. Granted, I was better than my first year, but I still did not think I was good enough to play at the party."

"You know Yumi, it just occurred to me. Your playing is wonderful. How is it that you missed the key when we played our duet last year?"

Yumi laughed. She could laugh about it now at least, but back then . . . "Do you remember how you were leaning over me Sachiko," Yumi asked through her chuckles.

"Of course, I was standing behind you, my right hand on your right shoulder tapping out the tempo . . ."

"And your right breast pressing into my left arm, onee-sama," Yumi giggled. "I was still so much in awe of you at that time. You were so close, and with your breast pressing into me I just couldn't handle it, so I flubbed the note."

"You didn't! On purpose?" Sachiko asked, amazed at this revelation.

"Of course! If I hadn't, I'm not sure what would have happened," Yumi giggled, "I probably would have fainted." Sachiko had to join in the laughter.

"I swear that half of my issues with you your first year was your lack of self-confidence and inability to say what was on your mind, Yumi. But, to be fair, I had my own issues regarding my inability to communicate my feelings for you back then," Sachiko smiled shyly.

"Or your needs, onee-sama," Yumi scolded her kindly, remembering the sad times surrounding the death of Sachiko's grandmother. "Well, we have both gotten better at saying what is on our minds wouldn't you agree," Yumi smiled back at her. She turned back towards the piano and began playing Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_. Sachiko closed her eyes and allowed the clean, clear notes that her lover was producing from the old piano to flow over her. The peace that Yumi's playing gave her was still a wonder for her. Yumi had told her of her "plateau," but if her playing now was any indication, it was a pretty high peak. Of course she was no virtuoso, or even anywhere near a professional level, but she was leaps and bounds ahead of most amateurs. Six years of lessons can do that for you, Sachiko knew that from personal experience, especially to someone as talented and dedicated as her love.

"Mmm, Yumi, maybe you should play the organ at next year's Maria ceremony," Sachiko ventured with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "I heard from Shimako that you have even played it once already."

"Eh, that was over a year ago," Yumi squeaked, once again stopping her playing, "and I was just fooling around anyway, despite what Shimako-san might have told you."

"Be that as it may, the more I think about it, the more I like the idea," Sachiko said thoughtfully, teasing her petite soeur.

"Oneeee-samaaa," Yumi whined.

'Yumi, do you really still think that you are not capable of doing it?" Sachiko asked.

"It-it's different when it's just the two of us, Sachiko," Yumi responded meekly, "I know that I can count on you to not overly criticize me if I make a mistake. In front of all the incoming first-years, however . . ."

"Yumi," Sachiko grinned, "you are forgetting, you won't be able to play the organ during the ceremony. You will be Rosa Chinensis next year and it will be your job to be handing out the Miracle Medals."

Yumi just stared at her lover for a moment, realizing two things. First, Sachiko had just been teasing her; something that she was becoming more comfortable doing the longer the two were together, which was kind of nice. Second, Sachiko would be graduating in just a few more months. She would still be nearby at Lillian University, but she would no longer be able to walk at Yumi's side from the education building to the Rose Mansion holding her hand. She would not be able to pour Sachiko a cup of tea before the meetings of the Yamayurikai. They would no longer be able to see each other every day.

"You sure know how to kill a mood, Sachiko," Yumi pouted, "Now all I can think about is your graduation and how we won't be together as much."

"I am sorry, Yumi," Sachiko said gently, taking Yumi's hand in her own and brushing it with her lips, "that was not my intention. You know that I am going to miss being with you just as much as you will be missing me."

"I know, Sachiko, it's just that . . ."

"Yes, I know, Yumi. I feel the same way. Let us make a promise to meet for dinner at least one night a week . . . and to get together every weekend that we can. Is that acceptable, Yumi?" Sachiko asked with a smile.

"Agreed," Yumi giggled. It had taken her long enough. Yumi had been trying to get Sachiko to offer some sort of schedule like that for the past few weeks. Yumi would have done it herself, but she didn't want to come across as needy. She would still have preferred to share dinner with her love at least two nights a week, but she would accept one. Sachiko knew better than she did what her schedule would be like. Especially when you added her family responsibilities on top of her school work. "On one condition," Yumi smiled shyly, "seal it with a kiss?"

"Mmm, any time, Yumi," Sachiko grinned, pulling Yumi towards her.

They stayed in the music room for another half hour, alternating between kisses and each of them playing various songs, before they finally gathered their things and headed towards the bus stop and home. After they had stopped and said their prayers to Maria-sama, Sachiko looked over at her petite soeur.

"Yumi," Sachiko asked, "will you come over and play for me again this weekend?"

"Of course, onee-sama. I'd love to," Yumi replied happily. She would take any opportunity to spend time alone with Sachiko, especially after her scheduled chemo treatment on Friday. Being with Sachiko was always the best medicine for her. "As long as I get to play _with_ you some as well," Yumi smirked.

"You minx," Sachiko laughed.

"You know how much I love the fingers of a piano player, onee-sama," Yumi grinned wickedly.

* * *

><p>*Light novels, Volume One – <em>Maria-sama ga Miteru<em>, Chapter 2 – "Tuesday of Storms," Part 2. If you haven't found the English translations of Oyuki Konno's light novel, please be sure to do a web search on Baka-Tsuki.


	3. But Would I Do That?

A/N: KINK WARNING! Please, please, _please_ don't ask me where this idea came from! Let's just say that I was having a bit of fun with the normally stodgy Youko ^_^

This story also answers the question, just because I wrote it should it be posted? Answer: Probably not!

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><p><strong>But Would I Do <em>That<em>?**

"_pls hlp me"_

Those were the words that were displayed across the screen of her cell phone one evening as Mizuno Youko sat in her chair at a small restaurant in the Bunkyo district of Tokyo. The text message was from Sei, but Youko had never in her life received such an ominous message from her friend. She cursed her cell phone service when she noticed that, although the message had just arrived at her phone, the text had been sent by Sei almost an hour earlier.

"If you will excuse me, gentlemen," she apologized as she started gathering her purse and coat, "an emergency has come up. I apologize for having to leave you with things unfinished, but a friend is in trouble."

"It's perfectly alright, Mizuno-san," one of her fellow pre-law students waved away her apology, "we are pretty much done for the evening anyway. Thank you for your help. I'm sure that we'll be able to do better on the next test after receiving your assistance," he smiled.

"Just be sure to focus on the Imperial Household Law and its relationship to the Constitution and you should be fine," she said over her shoulder as she was heading for the door. Since they had promised to pay for her drinks if she helped them with their studying she left the settling of the bill to them as she rushed out of the restaurant. She had no idea where Sei was, and she wasn't answering her cell either no matter how many times Youko hit the speed dial, so Youko just ran to her car and pointed it in the direction of Lillian University. She punched in another number on her speed dial as she hit the freeway and waited for the person on the other end to pick up.

"Mizuno-ojousama, how may we help you this evening," the melodious voice of a young man asked as he picked up her call.

"I need you to dig into the mobile GPS database and tell me where the cell phone associated with the following number is currently located," she tried to say as calmly as possible before rattling off Sei's cell number.

"Of course, Ojou-sama, one moment please," he answered in a soothing voice. The security arm of her father's company was the best in the country; even better than that employed by the family of her petite soeur, Sachiko Ogasawara. They were trained to remain calm and polite through even the most strenuous events, thereby helping those that needed their assistance to maintain their own calm demeanor. Youko could feel the tension in her chest loosening despite her desperate need. "Ojou-sama, Satou-sama's cell phone is currently located in her dorm room at Lillian University. Did you wish for me to summon emergency personnel to the scene," he asked in the same gentle manner, as if he were asking her if she wanted a cup of tea.

"No, not yet, thank you very much. If I need any more help I will be sure to contact you again," she replied with a small smile, remembering to get the name of the young man that was helping her so that she could commend his efforts to his supervisor. She stepped harder on the gas. Now that she knew Sei was in her room she was feeling a little bit better, but still . . . that message did not sound like her normally ebullient, care-free, and highly independent friend.

Sei was the absolutely last person she would expect to ask for assistance from anyone. Even after their many years of friendship, Sei was as independent as any girl could be in this day and age. When she had first formally met the tall blonde girl in high school she had been the consummate "loner." She remembered the avowed lesbian telling her once that she felt like a wolf among sheep her entire time at Lillian Girl's Academy. After her disastrous relationship with Shiori her public personality had changed sharply. She had seemed to become much more outgoing. She would flirt and tease and joke with almost everyone, but Youko could still see the pain in her eyes that she tried to hide from the world. Sei had gotten better recently at showing her true self to her friends, but Youko could see how much of an effort it was costing her; how much she was still afraid of opening her heart too much. And asking for help? Youko tried to think of any time in the past where Sei had come out and asked for anyone's assistance. Not a single incident came to mind.

She made it to the parking lot for Sei's dorm in record time and pulled into one of the few empty parking spaces reserved for visitors. She refused to run, her own training at Lillian – where girls were encouraged to walk slowly so that the pleats of their skirts remained straight and their sailor collars and scarves were never in disarray – kicking in unconsciously, but she walked quickly to the dorm entrance and pushed the intercom button to summon the dorm mother. Youko had met Sister Mary Elise on numerous occasions and her smiling voice came clearly through the small speaker as she answered the summons.

"May I help you?" she asked gently.

"Sister Mary Elise, this is Mizuno Youko. Satou Sei-san requested that I stop by this evening to help her with some studies. Would it be possible to admit me?" Youko replied with her own smile in her voice. It wouldn't do to get the good Sister worked up if this were just another one of Sei's pranks. If it was, Youko planned to give her friend a really good tongue lashing.

"Of course, Mizuno-san," the Sister said over the intercom. "Just let me buzz you in. You know how to get to her room?"

"Yes, Sister, and thank you," Youko replied just before she heard the sound of the magnetic lock releasing. She pulled the door open and walked quickly to the central staircase heading up towards the third floor and Sei's dorm room. The halls were relatively quiet; the students probably working hard on their studies, although a bit of music could be heard coming softly from behind some of the closed doors that she passed.

Sei rarely remembered to lock her door and, as usual, Youko was able to freely open the door to her friend's room. The scene she was met with almost shocked her. The floor was littered with dirty clothes and underwear mixed in with empty ramen cups, snack wrappers, vitamin water bottles, and beer cans. Sei's desk was cluttered with her school work; a math book currently open to a section on non-Euclidean geometry. A light on the desk highlighted not only the math book and notes that contained Sei's scribbles, but also a framed picture of the two of them in their Lillian uniforms standing in front of the statue of Maria-sama. Tsutako Takeshima had taken the photo of them right after their graduation ceremony. It looked like the only truly clean item in the entire room.

The other person in the photograph was currently lying face down on her bed, her left hand stretched out to the side underneath which her cell phone lay on the floor. Youko could hear Sei's snores from where she stood just inside the door which she quietly closed behind herself. She saw no need to vent her pique on the other residents of the dorm by slamming the innocent door closed. From the number of beer cans flung haphazardly about the room, it was obvious that her friend had once again drunken herself into a stupor.

Youko angrily kicked the dirty clothes out of her path as she made her way to Sei's sleeping form. She first picked up the cell phone and confirmed that it had recorded the four missed calls from her own phone. She set the phone on the desk before turning back to her friend.

"Sei," she called in a false, sickeningly sweet voice as she gently shook the taller girl's shoulder. When she received no response she shook the blonde a little harder. "Satou-san," she called a little less nicely. When this still resulted in no response, she put her hands underneath her friend's shoulder and heaved, intent on flipping the comatose girl over on her back.

It took a few moments, but she was finally able to turn Sei over. Sei's face was flushed and Youko could now tell that what she had originally taken as snoring was actually a raspy breathing as Sei struggled to get air into her lungs. A simple touch to her forehead was enough to tell her that the flush on her friend's face had nothing to do with alcohol, but was more related the fever raging through her. The former Rosa Chinensis quickly opened her cell phone again and hit the speed dial.

"Yes, Mizuno-ojousama, how may I help you," the same young man asked her in his quiet, calm voice.

"I think I'm going to need that emergency assistance you mentioned before. Do you have any medical personnel in the area?" she asked in a quiet voice, allowing his calm demeanor to invade her own taught nerves once again.

"I took the liberty of having one of our private emergency medical technicians moved into the area after your initial call, Ojou-sama. I will contact him immediately and have him attend you. Would you like me to contact Sister Mary Elise to have her allow him in?"

"Yes, please," Youko replied, "and thank you. You have been wonderful so far. I will be sure to contact you again if we need anything else," she said with a smile. She really needed to make sure that this young man received the accolades he so rightfully deserved.

"Thank you, Ojou-sama," he said with no change in his calm, smiling voice, "the emergency tech should be there within a few moments. I believe that Sister Mary Elise is letting him in the building now."

Youko rang off the line and ran to open the door to Sei's room. As she opened the door she could hear the soft thud of hurrying footsteps coming up from the lower floors. She watched as a young man in a black jumpsuit and a matching cap carrying a medical kit approached down the hall. He tipped his cap to her as he quickly moved past her and to the patient laid out on the bed. He made no comments regarding the filthy state of the room, simply opened his kit and quickly donned a stethoscope. He pulled Sei's shirt from her pants and slid his hand beneath her shirt, placing first the diaphragm and then the bell of the stethoscope over her heart and then her lungs. He then quickly checked her pupils with a pen light before running a quick check of her blood pressure.

"Heartbeat is strong and regular but a little faster than I would like and I can hear some crackling in the lungs, Ojou-sama. Pupils are reactive and blood pressure is normal. It is most likely a cold that she allowed to get much worse," he commented as he removed an electronic thermometer from his kit and held it to her ear. A moment later the thermometer beeped. "Temperature is thirty-eight point nine. Not overly concerning given her normally healthy physical condition. However, I doubt that she can take a pill in her current state. I will leave you with a couple of doses of suppositories to give her, one for her fever and one to help clear her lungs. Or, if you prefer, I can administer them myself," he said in an extremely professional manner as he finally turned to look at her for a decision. Up until this point he had been solely focused on his patient.

Youko tried to imagine Sei's reaction to a man, even a medical professional, not only seeing her bare butt but sticking his finger in her anus and pushing a couple of suppositories into her rectum . . . she shuddered. She didn't really want to think about doing it herself, but she did _not_ want to think about the ravings she would have to listen to for the next thirty or so years if she told Sei that she had allowed some man to violate her in such a manner.

When Youko didn't immediately respond to his question he turned back to his kit and pulled out a 1000ml bag of 5% dextrose and .45% sodium chloride injection. He slapped a self-sticking plastic hook on the wall above Sei's head and, after finally donning a pair of nitrile gloves, proceeded to set up an IV drip to make sure that the former Rosa Gigantea did not get overly dehydrated. From the looks of her sheets, Sei's fever had broken at least once given the amount of sweat that Youko now realized soaked both her sheets and her clothing. From the faint smell on the blonde girl's breath she had probably been throwing up as well.

"Leave the suppositories and some gloves. I will make sure that she gets the doses. If you can leave any pills that she may need to take once she regains consciousness I would appreciate that as well," Youko finally answered the EMT's question.

"Of course, Ojou-sama," he replied as he quickly found and stuck a needle into a vein in Sei's right arm. "I usually would not leave a patient with an IV hooked up, but I get the impression that you would prefer for me not to be here when she revives?" he said with a small smile as he taped the needle in place and started the drip.

"You have a good grasp of the situation," Youko replied with her own smile as the EMT quickly and efficiently completed his tasks.

"When the IV seems almost complete, close this valve," he said indicating a roller valve hooked up to the plastic tubing, "and then gently remove the tape holding the needle in place. Hold a piece of this gauze over the entry point and gently pull the needle straight out in same the direction it is inserted. Push down on the gauze and any bleeding should stop shortly. A simple medical adhesive over the gauze should ensure that any bleeding stops. Satou-sama's medical history," he said indicating a small tablet computer sitting on the floor next to his kit, "doesn't indicate any issues with excessive bleeding or difficulties in clotting, so you should not have any problems. If you do not mind, however, I will stay in my van in the parking lot just to make sure you don't have any problems. If you do have any issues you can just call the dispatcher and I will be back up here in less than a minute. Dispatch has already spoken to Sister Mary Elise and she has assured them that she will let me back in if necessary."

Throughout his monologue he had set out all the items she would need including two bottles of pills as well as a one page diagram of how to properly remove the IV and a one page diagram of how to administer the suppositories. Even still, knowing that he would be only moments away if she needed him made her feel a lot better about the situation.

"Thank you for everything," she said with a smile as she noted the name on his uniform. Here was another young man that she would have to commend to his supervisor. Not only did he do everything professionally necessary, he had properly read the situation and provided alternatives as well as all of the instructions she needed.

The EMT quickly put everything back in his kit, including the detritus of his efforts, and tipped his cap once more as he was leaving.

"I'll be just outside, Ojou-sama," he reminded her with a warm grin before he headed out the door.

It was then that Youko noticed that Sister Mary Elise was standing at the door looking in on the scene.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, Sister," Youko said with a shy smile and a short bow, "but I did not want to get into any possible arguments when Satou-san needed me. I pray that you will forgive me."

"No apology is necessary, Mizuno-san," the good Sister replied with her own sweet smile and a wave of her hand. "Satou-san's health is much more important. I do not have any medical training, but is there anything I can do to help?" she asked with concern in her cute, soprano voice.

"Could I please ask you to help me get her bedding and clothes changed?" Youko asked. "I am afraid that we will have to cut the shirt off of her so that we do not interfere with the IV drip, but it must be done."

"I'm sure she will forgive you, Mizuno-san," the Sister replied with a grin as she moved into the room to give Youko a hand. It did not take the two of them long to remove Sei's clothes and give her a quick sponge bath before changing her sheets and covering her with a couple of blankets. "I will bring up a pail of cold water and a wash cloth so that you can keep her forehead cool," Sister Mary Elise said as she turned to leave. "I'm sure you will want some privacy to administer the suppositories. I'll leave the water and cloth outside the door," she said with a grin.

"Thank you, Sister," Youko replied as she turned back towards Sei's still sleeping form. They had left her on her stomach to allow Youko to give her the needed medication. Could she really do this? She looked at the medicine and instructional diagram on the desk and then back at her friend. Yes, she _had_ to do this. Sei was more than just her dear friend.

She was the girl that Youko had loved for years, even if she had never had the courage to say anything to her.

Youko pushed the blankets away from Sei's naked rear end and then turned to the desk. She donned the pair of gloves and tore open the suppository foils before turning back to her patient. She set one of the suppositories on a sterile gauze pad while she took the other between her thumb and forefinger. Realizing she needed a little better angle, she set the suppository down and wrestled to raise Sei's hips, finally pushing her knees underneath her so that her bum was sticking up in the air. Once again she grabbed the first suppository and moved towards her target.

Spreading Sei's cheeks she looked closely at the girl's rear end and the small, puckered opening of her anus. Her skin felt so smooth. The muscles of her butt were both soft and firm. The feel of Sei's skin beneath her hands, even through the thin Nitrile gloves, started some very unladylike thoughts spinning around in her head. She desperately tried to ignore the slit of the natural blonde's vagina just below her puckered hole, but it drew her eyes like a magnet. She imagined that beautiful slit dripping with love juices, thin rivulets streaming slowly down her pale, muscular legs just begging to be licked, the warm taste on her tongue . . . she shuddered down to her toes. That lustful shivering was enough to shake her out of her vision and, at the same time, remind her that she needed to apply a little of the lubricant that the EMT had left her before she attempted to insert the lozenge. She turned back to the desk once again and opened the small tube, putting a liberal dose on the forefinger and middle finger of her right hand. She spread a dollop around the blonde's anus and, gently touched her finger to the opening.

_It's almost feels like it's kissing my finger_, Youko thought before she pushed forward gently.

Her finger was immediately captured as the sphincter muscle contracted slightly.

_My . . . my finger . . . is inside . . . S-Sei's body,_ she thought nervously as a patina of sweat broke out on her brow. _It feels slippery, and hot, and smooth, and . . . and . . ._ Her reaction, including a sudden wetness in her crotch, shocked her sufficiently enough that she jerked back in surprise, pulling her finger out.

"Well, that was interesting," she mumbled to herself as she panted lightly, shocked at her initial reaction. She turned back and picked up the first suppository once again and held it to that pink, puckered hole, almost unsure as to whether she should continue before shaking her head. "Here goes nothing," she whispered, "this is for Sei's health, not my pleasure," she said, quietly chiding herself.

With the aid of the lubricant and a gentle pressure, the suppository slipped easily into her anus but Youko could feel Sei's body immediately trying to eject the foreign object as her finger was squeezed tightly. The instructions had said to push it as far up towards the rectum as possible, so she started to gently push the lozenge deeper into Sei's body trying to ignore the heat and the pressure on her finger as erotic thoughts kept bouncing around in her head. Once her finger was inserted to the second knuckle she was amazed to feel the sphincter muscles contracting even more, almost as if pulling her finger deeper. It actually made inserting the medicine easier, but the pressure on her finger, coupled with the sight and the feel, renewed the feeling of slick liquids dripping from her own nether regions.

The inside of Sei's body was hot, and soft, and smooth, and slick, and more than just a little sexy. The sphincter was tight around her knuckle, but the rest could feel the hot flesh of Sei's body. It wasn't completely unlike how it felt when she masturbated, but it wasn't the same either. She pushed her finger even deeper into Sei's body, wiggling it slightly to keep it firmly behind the rapidly melting suppository. It was a strange but wonderful sensation. She moved her finger a bit more, first up and then down in the direction of Sei's vagina and cervix, her breath hitching in her throat. Did Sei's hips just buck slightly? She glanced at Sei's face only to see the girl still sleeping away although she did hear a slight moan. Well, it was to be expected given what she was doing to her friend.

She shuddered before slowly pulling her finger out making sure that what was left of the suppository remained deep within Sei's body. Now that she knew something of what to expect, inserting the second suppository was physically simple. It was only her thoughts that gave her any problems as they almost demanded that she see her actions is a sexual light. She was sweating profusely as she finally pulled the gloves off her hands and deposited them in the waste basket, almost sorry that it was over. She was sure that Eriko would have found the entire episode extremely amusing, but it was slightly shocking to Youko. Was she actually thinking that _anal_ was _sexy_? It had never occurred to her before . . . that the "other" hole could be just as exciting. Of course, she had no clue what Sei might have been feeling as Youko's finger had entered her not once, but three times. However, with just the thought her body quivered again in reaction and she felt another wave of heat pulse through her.

"Oh my god, I'm so wet!" she squeaked quietly as she realized just how soaked the crotch of her panties were. A glance at Sei's still exposed vagina showed that her friend's body had had a reaction similar to her own. Although Sei's consciousness might have been slumbering, her body was certainly awake! And it appeared that it had thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the past fifteen minutes or so. Her initial fantasy visualization was now a reality as she stared at a trickle of fluid making its way down the insides lf Sei's thighs. When she found herself licking her lips Youko shook herself thoroughly and forced herself to her feet. She went and opened the dorm room's door to find the pail of water and wash cloth that Sister Mary Elise had promised along with a couple of towels.

She first used one of the smaller towels to wipe away the leftover anal lubricant from Sei's rear. She used another section of the towel to clean up the streams of love juices that had leaked down Sei's legs from her now somewhat swollen lips. Youko licked her own lips as she once again fantasized her tongue licking the dripping juices from those firm, white thighs and . . . She forced herself to turn away so that she could regain her scattered equilibrium. She would definitely have to borrow a pair of Sei's underwear.

Turning the taller girl over after straightening her legs was a bit of a chore, but she was able to accomplish it without the good sister's help. About half an hour later she was also able to safely remove the needle from Sei's arm without any problems. The instructions the EMT had left were clear and precise. Barely a drop of blood welled from the puncture as the needle slipped gently from Sei's flesh before she covered it with another piece of gauze and an adhesive strip.

Youko sighed in relief and sat back on her heels for a moment before she leaned forward and brushed some stray locks from Sei's face. Her color was better and her fever seemed to have already gone down a bit.

"The things you make me do, Sei," Youko whispered to her love as she placed a soft kiss on Sei's forehead. She tried to tell herself she was just checking Sei's temperature.

"L-love y-you, Y-Youko," Sei whispered in her sleep, the first words she had murmured since Youko had arrived.

"I love you too, Sei. I love you so much," Youko replied softly, not sure whether the sick girl could hear her, let alone ever remember the words that the two of them had finally spoken to each other.

"O-only you," Sei murmured.

"Yes, Sei?"

"Only y-you . . . allowed . . . put . . . fingers . . . in my . . . butt," Sei grinned as her eyes slowly fluttered open.

"You're awake?" Youko shrieked.

"Ouch! N-not so loud. Y-you th-think I c-could sleep through th-that?" Sei smiled as she shivered slightly. "I al-almost c-came!"

Youko was astounded at her friend's audacity, but something else suddenly occurred to her. "You were awake? You were awake when you said . . ."

"Y-yeah. I love you, Youko," the sick girl said with a shy smile as she clasped Youko's hand where it lay on the bed. "I have been for quite a while, but I just couldn't tell you. Tonight seemed like a good opportunity. If you didn't return my feelings, I could have just continued to pretend to be asleep and ignore it. But when I heard you . . . did you mean it? Do you really love me, Youko? I mean, in the same way that I love you? Not just as friends . . . b-but as lovers?"

"Yes, you big dummy. I love you too! I always have. Hell, why else would I be willing to stick my fingers up your fat ass!" she laughed, "but yes, Sei, I love you too," Youko said more gently as she leaned forward and kissed her love for the very first time despite the blonde's cold. It was a kiss that Sei returned with just as much tenderness and love as Youko.

"Then could I ask one more favor," Sei said with a shy grin when they broke apart.

"What, Sei?" Youko smiled.

"Could you . . . could you finish what you started? I feel real itchy down there, and I think I need some more attention. This time in the front mind you . . ." she qualified with an evil smirk.

Sister Mary Elise giggled as she heard Youko-sama's shriek of outrage emanating from Sei's room, "I guess Satou-san's feeling better now," she laughed.

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><p>I hope you at least got a bit of a laugh there at the end ^_^<p>

Take care all


	4. Before Yumi

A/N: To make up for the last story, here is one that I started working on a number of months ago when I started wondering what Sachiko had been doing during my story _Before Sachiko_. This was the result.

I hope you enjoy.

I don't own MSGM or any of its characters. I just love playing with them.

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><p><strong>Before Yumi<strong>

_God I hate this!_ Sachiko thought as she once again found herself being followed by members of her "fan club" as she made her morning walk from the statue of Maria-sama towards her classroom. This current crop had been lying in wait by the white stone statue of the Madonna as Sachiko had arrived at school. _Why can't they just leave me alone? It's not like I asked for them to fawn all over me. My looks are simple genetics and I had absolutely no voice in being born into the Ogasawara family. Not a single one of these girls sees me for who I really am. Not a single one of them cares about anything but my name, my looks, or my title as Rosa Chinensis en Bouton. What, do they think that just because they greet me that I will make them my petite soeur?_ She almost . . . almost frowned, but her seventeen years of training to be a proper lady kicked in and refused to allow her facial muscles to relax sufficiently for the corners of her mouth to turn downwards. It was so frustrating at times. Why couldn't she be allowed to show as simple an emotion as pique! But no, an Ogasawara was never allowed to show that they had been wounded in any way, especially a wounding of pride.

She almost sighed, but even that was not allowed her. So she accepted the small, thin smile to be plastered on her lips as she recognized one more call of "good day" to her from yet another girl that she was sure could care less about who the real Sachiko Ogasawara was.

_God I really, really hate this!_

For once she was early enough that instead of heading directly to her second-year Pine-class she made the turn down a separate path that would eventually lead her to the Rose Mansion, the home of the Yamayurikai but, more importantly this morning, a brief but much needed respite from all the unwanted attention she was being given. She gave one last nod to the girls following in her wake before turning away and relaxing enough to allow at least that one little sigh to escape her lips.

Entering the white, wooden sided building she quietly closed the door and then headed up the creaky old staircase to the meeting room on the second floor. She could already hear the voices of other members of the Lillian Girls' Academy high school student council being slightly muffled by the closed biscuit door. She stopped briefly, her hand resting lightly on the door handle, to fix the smile on her face once again, then gave it up as a bad thought before she turned the knob and pushed the door open.

"Sachiko-chan!" Sei Satou, the current Rosa Gigantea exclaimed with a bright smile as she suddenly moved as if to give Sachiko a hug. Sachiko raised her right hand in an officious manner and the tall blonde girl came to a halt. "Ah, you're no fun Sachiko-chan," the grey eyed beauty pouted suggestively.

"Please, Sei-sama, not this morning. I'm already in a foul mood."

"Are your ardent fans giving you a hard time again?" her grande soeur, Youko Mizuno, asked with a slight grin on her face. There would be no sympathy from that quarter, Sachiko knew.

"I do not know why you will not allow me to simply ask them to leave me alone, onee-sama," Sachiko replied with a huff. At least in front of these girls she was allowed to be a bit more like her real self.

"Because you still do not know how to do so without coming across as being either angry or condescending, Sachiko," the beautiful, black haired girl replied with a spark of amusement in her hazel eyes. "When you can prove to me that you can properly ask them to leave you alone for the moment in such a way as to make them think that they are doing you a wondrous favor, then I will let you do so, but not before."

"It is just so hard, onee-sama," Sachiko sighed as she turned to pour herself a cup of tea after setting her book bag down by her usual chair. "I can hear myself saying it perfectly, but when it comes out of my mouth it just does not sound the same."

"Well, holding up your hand like a traffic cop and saying 'not this morning' isn't going to help you," Sei chuckled, Sachiko's surliness never making a single dent in her own ebullient facade.

"You are different, Sei-sama. You are . . . more like family," Sachiko admitted softly, staring at her steaming cup. "I know that I can get away with saying things to you that I could never get away with a stranger or a classmate."

"Ah, Sachan, that's just so sweet!" Sei exclaimed. Sachiko just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

Eriko Torii, the current Rosa Foetida, sat in her chair in the middle of the rectangular dining room table that they used for their meetings. Her light brown eyes were for once alive with thought as she twisted a finger around a few strands of her brown hair. "Sachiko-chan," she asked slowly, perhaps trying to use just exactly the right words, "do you possibly have a favorite maid, or other servant, that you would normally ask, politely, to give you a few moments of solitude such that you did not hurt their feelings?"

"Hmmm," Sachiko thought, "well, there is the couple up at our summer home that takes care of us while we are there. They are so sweet and kind, I don't think I would ever want to say something that hurt them."

"How would you ask them to give you a few minutes alone?" Eriko asked with an excited smile.

Sachiko thought hard for a moment and then closed her eyes, imagining the faces of that sweet couple, the muscles in her face relaxing just a touch, as if a bit of tension had been released. "I suppose it would be something like: 'I apologize, but I have a few things on my mind that I need to think about. Could I please ask you to give me a little time to myself?' Something like that," she finished as she opened her eyes again.

"Sachiko, that was perfect," Youko said with real praise such that her petite soeur blushed a bit, still unused to receiving such from anyone except her mother. "If you can say it in just that manner when we go to our shoe lockers this morning, then I will allow you to continue to do so on a regular basis. However," she went on, holding up her hand to forestall Sachiko's thinking she had won total success, "you cannot do it all the time. You cannot be thinking deep thoughts every time you are out and about, so you will still have to put up with your 'fan club' most of the time, but you can at least allow yourself some moments of freedom when you really need it. Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, onee-sama," Sachiko grinned, happy to win even this much agreement from her big sister. "And thank you, Eriko-sama. I never would have thought of such a comparison. It really is perfect."

"Of course it is," Sei chuckled as she walked around behind the Rosa Foetida's chair and draped her arms around her neck gently, "everything our darling Eriko does is perfect," she grinned.

The receiver of Sei's praise just smiled, used to her dear friend's overly touchy antics. It was such a change from the sullen loner Sei had been before _she_ came into her life, or the depressed, almost suicidal girl she had been after _she_ left. Eriko was happy to see Sei as she was now, even if she knew it was only a desperate mask, still hiding the scars of _that girl's_ betrayal. Now, if she could only get Sei to see that there was someone else that loved her just as much as _she_ ever could, but would never leave her. She glanced over to where Youko was still giving instructions to her petite soeur and almost sighed. Unfortunately there were some things that even the great Eriko Torii was not able to do.

-oo-

Sachiko entered her classroom with a warm smile of happiness on her face. Her onee-sama had given her a surreptitious thumbs-up after she had successfully dealt with a small group of her fans that had surrounded her at her shoe locker. She knew she couldn't overdo it, but to be able to escape her followers even once or twice a week, especially on those days when she was truly vexed, would be heavenly. She moved to her seat in the exact center of the room with a gliding walk that had each of her classmates wondering what cream the Ogasawara cat had been able to get into. It was rare for Sachiko, a girl who was known for not being very good in the mornings, to be so happy at this time of day. Whatever the reason, most of her classmates were just thankful that they didn't have to deal with an out-of-sorts Rosa Chinensis en Bouton that morning.

-oo-

"Thank you, onee-sama," Sachiko said with real feeling, a bright smile still on her lips as she entered the Yamayurikai's meeting room that afternoon to find the three Roses along with her best friend Rei Hasekura, the Rosa Foetida en Bouton, and Rei's petite soeur Yoshino Shimazu already in attendance. "I was even able to handle being followed here from the classroom just by knowing that I could get rid of them if I really had to."

"I heard," Rei grinned at her friend, "Youko-sama finally allowed you to ask them to leave you alone."

"But only every so often and only when she truly needs to," Youko reiterated her prior declaration.

"That is fine, onee-sama," Sachiko beamed. "Just being able to get a few moments of peace once in a while is wonderful!"

Yoshino couldn't help but titter at seeing this side of the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton. It was so rare to see Sachiko-sama in a good mood, let alone almost giggly with happiness. She shook her head, causing her brown, twin braids to swing freely as she tried to keep herself from laughing out loud.

"Feel free to laugh Yoshino-chan," Sachiko said as she turned to her with a warm smile, "I know it is not often that I am this . . . demonstrative. Take advantage of it while you can," she grinned.

Yoshino didn't need to be asked twice as she gave free rein to the laughter that she had been holding back. Sachiko even joined in for a few moments much to the surprise of the other girls in the room.

Youko smiled at Sachiko's antics and decided to hold off on her next set of instructions to her petite soeur rather than putting a damper on her happiness. Tomorrow or the next day was early enough to warn Sachiko that she was now a second-year and that she needed to start thinking about finding her own petite soeur.

-oo-

Sachiko let her fingers still briefly before lifting them from the ivory keys of the old Yamaha grand piano in the school's music room one afternoon later that week. The Maria Ceremony to welcome the new first-year students was only a little over a week away and she was getting in a little practice before the event. Gounod's _Ave Maria_ was the traditional song for the ceremony. It was a beautiful piece, full of meaning and love, but also capable of bringing a bit of peace to both the player and the listener. She had first learned the song over four years ago and it had quickly become one of her favorites. She couldn't help but close her eyes and allow her body to sway slightly to the rhythm of the classic piece, allowing the notes to flow around and through her body, almost seeming to drain the stress directly from her taught muscles and mind.

Unfortunately the end of the song also meant the end of being able to completely forget the trials and tribulations of being not only Sachiko Ogasawara, sole heiress to the Ogasawara Zaibatsu, but also Rosa Chinensis en Bouton. She tried thinking back to earlier that week when she had actually been able to laugh for a little while and it brought a small smile to her lips before if slowly faded away.

Being able to have some free time from her normal group of fans was wonderful she thought, but it brought her no closer to what she really wanted. So far her onee-sama had not specifically told her to find herself a petite soeur, but she knew it was only a matter of time given the subtle hints Youko-sama was throwing out every so often. Sachiko knew that it was not unprecedented for a member of the Yamayurikai to choose a petite soeur simply because the girl had what it took to be a good Rose in the future, and she knew that it might eventually have to come to that, but she still held out some small hope that she could find one girl amongst the large group of first-year students that she could truly love.

She had pretty much ruled out any of her more obvious fan club members. She already knew that none of them cared about who she really was; only what her name and title represented. There were other girls, like the photographer Tsutako Takashima-san, who hung around her periphery like a small moon orbiting a larger planet, but she could already tell that Tsutako-san was more interested in her looks and her fame, even if it was for a completely different reason. Still, she thought that the self-proclaimed "Ace" of the Lillian Photography club _was_ someone that would care about her as a person if only she could get over her fear of the "Ice Princess of Lillian."

Sachiko sighed again. That was another title that she had never wanted to earn for herself. All it did was place one more obstacle between her and her potential petite soeur. Why was it so hard to make real friends at this school? It had been this way since her first day of kindergarten. Her upbringing, her training, her family name; all of it had contrived to raise barriers between herself and those that might have become her friends. Her family obligations – her tutoring in French, in conversational English, flower arrangement, and all of the other classes that she had been forced to take by her parents – had made it impossible for her to join any of the other girls when they went out for tea together, or join one of the various sports or social clubs offered by the school.

Not until last year, when Youko Mizuno, the then Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, had asked her to become her petite soeur had she ever been placed into anything resembling a club-like social setting. One of the first things her onee-sama had done was to start piling Yamayurikai duties on her shoulders to the point where she was forced to terminate all of her tutored lessons.

And it had been one of the nicest, kindest, most freeing and uplifting things that she could have done for her petite soeur. For the very first time Sachiko actually felt like she was a part of the school life of Lillian Girls' Academy. It was just too bad that it had taken almost nine years!

"Eeep!" Sachiko heard behind her. By the time she turned around all she saw was a dark green pleated skirt and a pair of brown pigtails fleeing through the door.

_Well_, she thought with a little giggle, _at least it wasn't a member of my fan club!_

Why was she kidding herself? Only those girls that followed her around every day were willing to tempt her wrath on the off chance of catching her notice. The likelihood that she would be able to find someone that she could really love? No, she should probably look at asking a girl that she thought would be a good addition to the Yamayurikai. She already knew of one such girl. Shimako Todou-san was a beautiful, serene, tranquil, and extremely intelligent young lady with an outlook on life that would be a wonderful asset to the student council.

Her onee-sama had been the first to invite the angelically beautiful girl to the Rose Mansion to assist in the council's duties. Sei-sama seemed to be very interested in her, but also seemed a bit put out that Youko-sama had invited her in the first place. Sachiko had heard the two arguing on more than one occasion about the Rosa Gigantea possibly taking her as her own petite soeur, but Sei-sama seemed adamantly against the idea for some reason. Her onee-sama had mentioned her to Sachiko earlier that very afternoon as a possible candidate to become her own petite soeur. The fact that Youko-sama probably also had some other, ulterior motive for mentioning her did not negate the fact that she would be a great addition to the group.

Sachiko reached into the collar of her uniform and gently withdrew her rosary. She held it in her hand such that it glittered in the sunlight filtering through the music room's windows. Would this rosary soon grace the neck of a girl she liked but did not love? It didn't matter. Life, as in business, always required sacrifices. Shimako would surely make a wonderful petite soeur. She put the rosary back inside her collar where it hung above her heart.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow she would ask Shimako Todou to become her petite soeur.

-oo-

"Mainly, Shimako-san, it is important to be sure to have the next medallion already to hand to Rosa Gigantea when she needs it for the next first-year in line," Sachiko told the new Rosa Gigantea en Bouton as they ate their lunch at the school's Milk Hall just a few days before the Maria Ceremony. It still rankled a bit that she had lost out to Sei-sama in making Shimako-san her petite soeur, Sachiko hated to lose at _anything_, but she had to admit that the two seemed to go well together.

"There will be twenty to a box and each Rose will have three boxes. That should be plenty for all of the first-year students. The necklaces are strung between small pins in the boxes as well so that they don't get mixed and possibly tied together," Rei pointed out.

"Oh, then it should be relatively easy to pick out each necklace rather than having to untangle them. That's a wonderful idea," Shimako said.

"Well, then . . . Shimako-san, is everything alright?" Sachiko asked the dark blonde Angel of Lillian as she had become to be known among the students. Shimako had suddenly looked up at something or someone and then at her watch.

"Oh, I am very sorry, but it seems that I will be late for class if I do not leave now. I apologize," she explained as she began to gather her things.

"It's not a problem," Rei grinned, "classes always must come first."

Shimako thanked them again for their help and then joined three other girls that looked to be waiting for her. It seemed to Sachiko that she was thanking a young girl with her hair done up in pigtails.

"Rei, do you know that girl?" she asked her long-time friend.

Rei turned to see who Sachiko was looking at. "Oh, you mean Tsutako-san," Rei giggled, "the self-proclaimed Ace . . ."

"No, the girl with the pigtails," Sachiko corrected her. Why had the girl caught her attention? She seemed to remember something about pigtails from last week, but for the life of her couldn't remember.

"Hmmm? No, I don't think I've ever seen her before. She is kind of cute though," Rei smirked, "someone you would like to know better?"

"Oh, no, I was just thinking that I might have seen her before, but I cannot seem to remember where."

"Well, I'm sure it will come to you, Sachiko," Rei smiled.

"Maybe. Well, I guess we are done here for now. Shall we head back to our own classrooms so that we are not late ourselves?" Sachiko asked as she gathered her own things.

"Sure," Rei replied, watching her friend closely. It was the first time that Sachiko had shown any interest in another girl and it somewhat surprised her. She turned once again to see if she could see the girl, but they had already left the Milk Hall. Well, finding out who the girl was should be easy enough. She would have to try to remember to ask Shimako the next time she saw her.

For some reason the thought of asking Shimako who the pigtailed girl was seemed to slip from the thoughts of both second-years before that afternoon's meeting.

-oo-

The crystal clear notes of Gounod's _Ave Maria_ resounded throughout the vaulted ceiling of the old chapel at Lillian. The sunlight, coming through the beautifully rendered stained glass window of the Madonna and Child located high in the wall behind the low, marble topped alter, threw shards of colored light around the interior of the old building like works of modern art. Sachiko had always loved its simple design, without any of the usual gold or silver accoutrements that you typically expected in a Catholic church. She much preferred the dark, mahogany woods that prevailed wherever the eye touched.

As usual when she played this particular piece, Sachiko's eyes were closed, a small gentle smile on her lips as she swayed lightly to the music. She knew that if she opened her eyes she would almost be able to see the individual notes as they twinkled like ice crystals in a bright winter sun. But if she opened her eyes she would also see Shimako Todou standing behind Sei-sama and handing her the next Maria medallion to be placed around the neck of another first year student. Shimako Todou . . . the one that got away.

She had been very nice about it, saying that she did not think that she could offer to Sachiko what she needed in the way of a petite soeur, while she _could_ offer to Sei what _she_ needed. And Sachiko had to admit that the two seemed to provide some unknowable, unfathomable strength to each other. Still, it hurt to be rejected. It was probably a first in her life; to have someone deny her something she truly wanted and it wasn't a feeling she wanted to get used to.

Maybe Shimako somehow knew that she was only a second-best choice and not the one that Sachiko truly wanted to have at her side as her petite soeur. If so she had done Sachiko a great service, but only time would tell. _And_ she had quietly noted her onee-sama's secret smile when Sei-sama introduced Shimako-chan as her new petite soeur. At that moment Sachiko knew that she had somehow been used as a pawn in one of Youko-sama's many schemes of meddling, but she could not bring herself to be angry.

Maybe . . . just maybe there was someone out there, maybe one of the first-years sitting somewhere behind her, that could be the girl that she really wanted to have as her petite soeur.

She opened her eyes and glanced to where Shimako stood handing a medallion to the Rosa Gigantea. Shimako glanced over and met her eyes, and gave her a nod and a warm, bright smile. Yes . . . just maybe. Sachiko nodded and smiled back at the Rosa Gigantea en Bouton; a girl that she somehow knew would one day become a very dear friend.

-oo-

"May Maria-sama bless you and keep you," Youko intoned one more time, now well into the rhythm and almost working on autopilot as she put yet another Miracle Medal around the neck of yet another first-year girl. She was actually paying little attention to what was going on as she allowed the music flowing from her petite soeur's talented fingers on Lillian Chapel's old electronic organ to surround her and lull her like a warm blanket on a cold morning. She knew she should be paying more attention, but the sound of Gounod's _Ave Maria_ was just so warm and peaceful . . .

"May Maria-sama bless you and keep you," she said once again.

"Thank you very much, Rosa Chinensis. I will cherish it always," the young girl whispered before she turned away to allow the next girl in line to approach. _Huh, what was that?_ That voice, that sound of innocence and humility, of kindness and caring, of purity and . . . and _joy_, was enough to break through the fog that Sachiko's playing had enfolded around her. She saw a pair of brown pigtails bouncing slightly as the girl walked away from her.

"You are very welcome," Youko said in a more lively voice, hoping. Her hopes were rewarded as the girl turned back briefly and stopped, almost like a deer in the headlights as Youko took her measure in an instant, before the girl shivered slightly and then bowed her thanks again before turning back towards her seat.

This cute girl, with her brown pigtails done up in ribbons, her wide, clear brown eyes, her innocent smile, and her totally open, totally guileless features, was someone that Youko would have to remember to try to keep an eye out for. She didn't think that she had ever met a girl as sweet . . . as perfect.

"May Maria-sama bless you and keep you," emerged from her lips once again, her body and voice continuing in its rhythm as she placed another medallion around the neck of another girl as her eyes continued to watch the pigtailed girl walk all the way back to her seat. Was it possible? Could there really be someone . . . someone for her dear Sachiko?

-oo-

As the weather warmed and the calendar moved towards summer Sachiko found herself, more often than not, studying for her end of term exams either in the library reading room or on a shaded bench outside so that she could enjoy the sunshine and breeze. She was still followed by members of her fan club, but they were much more understanding these days of her need to be alone to study. Every so often she would get the feeling of being watched, but it usually turned out to just be Tsutako-san taking another photograph.

She knew that Tsutako-san's pictures of her frequently ended up in issues of the school's newspaper, but there were times that she wished that the girl would just walk up and speak to her rather than just taking candid photos. Sachiko thought that Tsutako-san must see so much more of what school life is really like at Lillian than the heiress was ever exposed to. It would be nice to get a different point of view than just those of the members of the Yamayurikai. Heck, it would be nice just to speak of general inanities with someone other than the student council members.

She glanced up from her studies to see if she could find the bespectacled girl fully expecting that she would be around somewhere. She did find her, but she was sitting on top of a small knoll across the walkway from her speaking to a young girl with pigtails so Sachiko allowed her head to drop back to the pages of the book open on her lap. It took a while but it eventually occurred to her that she might have seen that same pigtailed girl before. A quick look towards the top of the mound found it empty and the sun slowly setting behind it. She had studied the afternoon away simply because of the peace and quiet that her fangirls had finally provided to her.

Sachiko sighed and put her things into her bag in preparation for the trek home.

-oo-

Sachiko relished the time she had been able to spend in simple peace and relaxation at her family's summer house. The only small blotch of blight on the entire break had been having to put up with the constant fawning of the neighbor girls. Even Touko-chan, her distant cousin and a third-year at Lillian Middle School, had tended to get on her nerves. She thought if she heard "Sachiko-oneesama" one more time she might actually scream. At least the final few days had been restful.

Unfortunately her summer break was now over and she was once again trying to fight off the fatigue and fugue that her low blood pressure enforced on her each and every morning. As she walked along the cobbled path from the front gate to the statue of Maria-sama she nearly found herself yawning, but a bright "good day Rosa Chinensis en Bouton" from a passerby quickly stifled the reaction. She smiled and returned the greeting with a nod of acknowledgement, not deigning to open her mouth to actually say "good day" in return. It would have taken too much effort.

She had just finished her morning prayer to the Madonna when she caught sight of an unruly scarf adorning a pigtailed girl just turning away.

"Wait," she called out softly.

* * *

><p>As always, your commentsreviews are greatly desired and wonderfully appreciated.

Take care,

CX


	5. The Captured Prince

A/N: WARNING: SEXUAL CONTENT, BUT NOT PWP! I SWEAR THERE'S A PLOT!

Um, well, as I originally described in my profile, this was an experiment to see if I could write a half-way decent sex scene. Ultimately, I think I will have to leave that answer up to all of you. I can't thank TheSilentReader enough for being willing to act as my sounding board and editor for this story. She truly helped this story become what it is today. (Oh, wait, does that mean that if people think it's crap that she has to share in that as well?) J-Just forget what I said before...she was no help whatsoever so you can lay all the blame on me! ^_^ JK

This story (Chapter 7.5 or Foundation) occurs the evening after Yumi's 'thank you' party at RMII for the Rose Foundation's contributors.

2ND WARNING: This is a hetfic between Yuuki and Touko and is pretty darned explicit, but again, _I swear there's a plot!_

You have been warned!

* * *

><p><strong>The Captured Prince<strong>

Yuuki had absolutely no idea why Touko had asked him to meet her at the Rose Mansion on the grounds of Lillian. It was a Saturday evening in early August and the summer break for both Lillian Academy and Hanadera U had started just the previous week. As he walked through the gathering dusk along the deserted cobbled pathways that he and his girlfriend walked almost every day he was still trying to figure out what could have gotten her so upset. The Foundation party the previous evening had been wonderful. The two of them had had so much fun, laughing and joking with their friends and family, and yet in her phone call earlier this morning Touko had sounded almost desperate in her anxiety. He had tried any number of times to get her to tell him what was wrong but she had refused to answer him, only asking him to meet her at the Rose Mansion after dinner and to be sure to wear clothes that he did not care about.

Today he wore a pair of holey jeans that were too short and that his mother had already said she planned to throw away along with a t-shirt that advertised a kid's drink that hadn't been popular for almost seven years. People he passed on the street and that rode with him on the bus gave him a wide berth, not sure whether he was a delinquent or a drug user...or both. If he had been intelligent he would have been sure to bring his father's tool chest with him. Then at least all those people would have assumed that he had some sort of construction job to get to.

Arriving at the white, wooden sided building he knocked on the door. When there was no answer after numerous attempts he tried the doorknob and found it unlocked. He opened the door and stepped inside, calling out in hopes that Touko, or at least someone, was around.

"Excuse me, I'm coming in," he yelled out.

"Oh, Yuuki-kun. I'm upstairs in the meeting room. Could you please put on the indoor slippers against the wall and come on up?" he heard Touko-chan call out to him. "Oh, and could you please lock the front door behind you before you come up?"

"I'll be right there," he yelled back. He locked the door and then turned and pulled off his outdoor shoes and put on the pair of indoor slippers that had been set out for his use. They were larger than he was used to and despite their cleanliness looked like they had been around for quite a few years. Then again, it wasn't like the Rose Mansion saw all that many male visitors. He then took the creaky old staircase up to the second floor and entered the student council meeting room through the "biscuit" door. Despite numerous explanations from both Touko and Yumi he could still not understand why it was referred to that way.

"Yuuki-kun, welcome," Touko said with a bright smile as she was pouring two cups of green tea. "I'm sorry I didn't come when you knocked, I couldn't hear it from up here. That is why I left the front door unlocked. You did lock it up again, didn't you?" she asked.

Yuuki nodded as he took in the astounding sight before his eyes. Touko looked even prettier than she had the previous evening. She was wearing a very fetching white cotton sundress with a yellow daisy and pink rose floral pattern around the skirt's hem and across the bust. Her arms and shoulders were bared except for some narrow straps. A pair of pure white indoor slippers with a matching floral print finished the summery look of her outfit.

"You look very nice Touko-chan," Yuuki commented with a grin as she handed him a cup of tea and she walked him to a seat at one side of the table. "That dress really suits you."

"Well, thank you very much kind sir," she giggled with a short curtsey.

"So what is this all about Touko? What's wrong?" Yuuki asked, his voice dropping to show his concern.

"In a bit Yuuki. Let's just enjoy a few minutes of talk first, shall we?" she replied with a shy, nervous smile, a look that he rarely saw on the always confident face of the girl he loved.

"That's fine, as long as you promise that you will tell me what's wrong later," he advised her seriously.

"I promise," she smiled more broadly.

They spoke about the party the previous evening, how Yumi was doing after she collapsed, about how their classes had been going so far this year, how her parents and grandfather were, how his parents were doing...essentially anything but what he thought was troubling his girlfriend. Throughout the discussion he noted that she had been wringing a white handkerchief that she had been holding in her lap. They sipped two cups of tea each before he started to allow his frustrations and concern to show.

"I know, I promised, Yuuki-kun, but, could I please ask just one more favor of you? Could you please help me with a scene that the drama club is going to be performing for the school festival?"

"Sure, but after that..."

She laughed, "I promise." Touko went to the small set of cabinets where they brewed their tea and pulled a set of soft, white, silken drapery tiebacks from out of a drawer. "Yuuki-kun, would you please put your hands behind your back?"

"Whaaat?" he exclaimed as she laughed at him.

"Really, it is needed for the scene," she giggled. "I play a prince who has kidnapped a princess and tied her to a chair. I need you to simply respond to the lines I say, in your own words, so that I can get an idea of what the prince and princess are thinking during this scene. I've practiced it with the other club members and I simply can't get into the prince's head. Of course, none of the club members want to be tied up, so that doesn't help," she giggled again. "I was hoping that a big, strong man like you wouldn't have as much of a problem if their girlfriend tied them up."

"The 'big' and 'strong' are a little over the top, Touko," he laughed, "but this boyfriend doesn't mind helping if he can." He put his hands behind the chair back and allowed her to tie his wrists. She then tied his ankles against the legs of the chair using another set of silken tiebacks. None of the knots were overly tight and the cords were soft against his skin. In a way, it was a little erotic and he blushed at the thought.

Touko blushed cutely, knowing what he was probably thinking about as she looked up from where she was tying the last knot around his left ankle. The fact that he had patently refused to try to sneak a peek down the top of her sundress, first looking over her head and then actually turning his head away from her, said more about his ethics and morals than anything else he could have said or done. It almost made her regret what she was about to do to him.

"Now, all nice and comfy cozy?" she asked him as she stood up.

Yuuki moved his shoulders and legs a bit, just to make sure that he was comfortable. "Sure. Now, what is the first line?"

Touko took two steps forward, making sure that she had one leg on either side of him, and sat down in his lap, straddling him. The bottom hem of her sundress rode up her legs until it just barely covered her panties.

"My first line is: 'How much do you love me, Yuuki'," she said in a soft, sultry voice.

"T-T-Touko?"

"That's not the answer I was looking for," she said as she put her arms around his neck and pressed up against him. "Let's try this again. How much do you love me, Yuuki?"

"T-Touko, what's going on? You know I love you, right? B-b-but this. . ." Yuuki stammered, his face turning a bright shade of red.

"S-so, you do l-love me?" Touko asked nervously, a pretty pink blush rising in her cheeks; just for a second looking like the frightened high schooler that she really was.

Whatever was going on, Yuuki knew it was important to his girlfriend and so he tried his best to calm down.

"Touko, I really do love you. You know that I do. I've told you often enough. Now, what is this all about?"

"Well, you see," she murmured into his ear, the sultry voice back in control, "I have been having this itch lately, and I think that you are the only one that can scratch it for me, Yuuki," she tried to whisper seductively in his ear as she started to rock back and forth in his lap, slowly grinding her crotch into his. Surprisingly, despite his apparent calm and caring demeanor, his body was quickly showing that it was _very_ interested in what she was doing to him as he started to get hard. It was the first time she had ever felt a man's erection, let alone had one pressed snuggly against her own privates. Even as nervous as she was she could already feel a distinct warmth starting in her loins as the crotch of her panties began to dampen and her breathing sped up.

"But..." that was all he was able to get out before she first lightly brushed her lips against his own, and then pressed her lips harder against the softness of Yuuki's lips. Yuuki might be the most upright and honest boy that she had ever met, but he was also a man and he loved her. They had kissed like this many times since they had started dating and they had both enjoyed those little make-out sessions immensely. But even after more than a year of dating they had never gone much beyond the hand-holding and kissing stage. This situation was a quantum leap forward beyond that innocent, tentative lovemaking.

Yuuki responded to her kisses as she had come to expect and thoroughly enjoy. Even with his hands tied behind his back he leaned into her and pressed his lips against her own just as fierce and hungry as he had always been. When he opened his mouth for a brief breath, she immediately plunged her tongue into his mouth and started searching for that soft, tender piece of flesh that had danced with her own so many times before. She was not left wanting as his tongue joined in the slow, sensual waltz she had started. She sucked slowly on his tongue, drawing it into her mouth and running her teeth gently over the sensitive member. The moan that escaped from his lips was music to her ears.

She pulled him tighter into her embrace, pushing her breasts into his chest so that he could feel that not only was she not wearing a bra, her hardening nipples were pressing through the light cotton material of her sundress, through the thin material of his old t-shirt, and firmly into the flesh of his chest. She started to move her upper body slowly to the side, first one way and then the other, with the same rhythm she had already started as she continued to rock her hips back and forth against his quickly stiffening manhood. The feel of the soft material of her dress rasping against her now rock hard nipples, along with the feel of his stiff jeans against her cleft, made her whimper as she felt her panties getting wetter and wetter. The euphemistic itch she had first told him about was now a full blown need in her nether regions that was begging for release.

When Touko finally leaned back for a bit, afraid of the feelings flooding through her body, they were both panting desperately and sweat had broken out on both of their flushed faces. Her heartbeat, already rapid due to her nervousness, had redoubled and was now pounding in her breast.

"T-Touko..." Yuuki tried to say again.

"Just tell me you love me again, Yuuki. Please, just say that you love me," she was almost begging in a breathy voice that did nothing to hide the desire that was drumming through her.

"I love you, Touko. I think I have loved you ever since our first shopping trip for Yumi's present," he whispered. "I love the way that you act when you are with me; with no fake masks or pretense. I love the way that you care for and love my sister. I love your kind and caring nature. I love the way that you enjoy my attempts at cooking and I love the way you eat it even if it's terrible, not wanting to hurt my feelings. I love the way your hand feels when I hold it, and I love it when you slip your fingers between my own and clasp my hand like you never want to let go. I love your laugh and I love your tears. I love your hair, your eyes, your cute little nose, and I love your lips; especially when they are pressed into mine. But most of all I love the way you look at me; when I can see in your eyes that you love me as well. Knowing that you love me has brought me so much happiness that I know I could never want anything else in this world."

"And I love you, Yuuki, which is why I'm doing what I'm doing," she tried to explain hoping desperately that he would understand. Her hands slipped from around his neck and she slowly reached down and pulled the front of his t-shirt up over his head so that it hung against the back of his neck and his smooth chest and nipples were exposed. She started to gently rub her hands over his bare chest and muscular abs. The feel of his skin on the palms of her hands and on her fingertips was a rush she had never felt before. She desperately wanted to feel that soft, sensitive skin against her own bare breasts, but she resolved to save that for later as she allowed her fingertips to drift, barely touching his warm silkiness.

She slowly slid backwards on his lap, barely resisting the not insignificant desire to keep up her rocking motion and the delicious, turbulent feelings that it was creating in her crotch. She decided to tease him just a bit by dancing her soft, spiral pigtails over his rapidly hardening nipples. It was amazing to watch as the darkened skin puckered tighter as a result of her actions. Without conscious thought she leaned forward and started laying soft, sweet kisses along his neck and collarbone, drifting slowly down his chest until she could see those rock hard nipples before her eyes.

She wet her lips in anticipation before she opened her mouth and used just the tip of her tongue to draw a lazy circle around his left nipple, keeping her touch light as a feather. Never before had she attempted to make love to anyone and so she was trying to make sure that whatever she was doing was pleasurable to the man she so dearly loved. She allowed her circling tongue to press more firmly into the skin of his bare chest, putting more and more pressure on the sensitive nub of his nipple and the goose bumped skin of his areola, looking up through her lashes every so often to see if what she was doing was pleasuring him. From the flush on Yuuki's face, and the way he was panting and moaning, she guessed that at least it wasn't wrong, so she took the tip of his nipple between her lips and gave a tiny suck. The gasp that issued from his mouth as he threw his head back and tightly closed his eyes was all she needed to hear as she continued to suck and gently nip to the sounds of his gasps, hisses, and moans.

After all the attention she had given his left nipple she slowly licked her way across his chest to his right nipple, providing the same pleasant feelings to the nub she found there as her right hand groped and kneaded his left pectoral. After a few minutes of this she slid back even further onto his knees so that she could trail more kisses, licks and nips down his firm abdomen to his belly button, briefly sticking her tongue into his navel, licking and sucking as he gasped out his need. She then continued even further down his stomach, all the way to the top of his tented jeans.

It was when she reached for and started to unbuckle the belt to his straining, too tight pants that he seemed to regain some minor control of his sorely abused faculties.

"T-Touko...n-no...you really...shouldn't."

"Shhh," she crooned, "I know what I want, and what I want, at least for this one night, is you, Yuuki-kun."

Despite his continued soft, meager protests, she unbuckled the belt and unbuttoned the top button to his jeans before she started to slowly and sensuously unzip the tight fitting pants. She was embarrassed to see the large, dark wet spot, the result of her now totally dripping crotch, on the jeans fabric that covered his straining cock.

"Touko, don't. Why are you doing this? I don't understand," Yuuki gasped.

"Just lean back and enjoy it, Yuuki," she purred as she reached into his underwear and pulled out his now hardened dick, gasping at the sight and the feel of him in her hand. She had seen a man's penis before when she had been helping take care of patients at her grandfather's hospital. Judging by that experience Yuuki had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of in either length or girth. But it was the beauty that both shocked her and further inflamed her now searing desire. She slowly moved her hand up and down his throbbing shaft, relishing the soft, velvety smoothness against her palm and fingers. She licked her lips as she watched the silky skin move up and down with her hand movements. The sight of his foreskin stretching and contracting under her total control almost mesmerized her until she noticed that a glistening drop of smoky white fluid had already formed on the tip.

She leaned forward slowly, her eyes focused solely on that tiny bead of milk. She tentatively used her tongue to lick that gleaming bead from the tip of his twitching member. His come had both a sweet and salty taste, a spicy combination that she wanted more of. Now she knew what all those shoujo mangas meant when they called a cock "delicious." The sharp gasp that escaped from his lips and the look on his face said that this was also "a good thing" so she continued to apply soft, short, gentle licks and kisses around the tip and head of his penis. She could smell the scent of the soap he had used to shower before he arrived, but underneath she could also smell a muskiness that was all male; all Yuuki. It set her head spinning and another flare of heat rushed through her. She wanted this? _She wanted this!_

Each time a bead of moisture appeared she used just the tip of her tongue to remove it, each time eliciting a gasp of pleasure from him. As her hand continued to milk his rock hard cock she took the head and then more of the shaft fully into her mouth, licking and sucking, gently using her tongue. God, his dick was so hot, and it was twitching and throbbing in her mouth, unimaginably growing even larger and harder as she enjoyed the taste of his soft skin. She was getting so caught up in what she was doing, her mind a fuzzy blur of desire, that it wasn't until she heard his growing moans that she realized he might be enjoying this just a little _too_ much.

Giving him head was _not_ the end result she had planned for this very important evening. She had a mission, no matter how uncomfortable it was and how much she hated having to do it in this manner. Even as scared as she was she knew she had to see this through.

Finally, reluctantly letting go of his now huge, red, throbbing dick, she stood and slid the straps of her sundress off of her shoulders until her top was held up only by the pressure of her small but perky breasts against the soft material. Yuuki's now open eyes followed her every movement as he licked his lips in desire, every so often shaking his head as if to clear it of the beastly need that was taking over his hindbrain. One simple shimmy was all it took to allow the soft material of her dress to slip down her body and pool around her feet on the floor. She stood before him, baring more than just her taut, nubile body in just a pair of white cotton panties that had become transparent with the proof of her own desire. She was sure that he could see every curve, indentation and protrusion of her shaved mound.

Even still she was nervous and worried about how he was reacting to all of this. Would he hate her? Would he accept her? The way his eyes traced every curve of her body, from toes to face, lingering longingly on the shape of her mound and firm breasts with their hard, upright nipples – the desire that lay naked in his eyes – did things to her breathing and rapidly thumping heart that she had never experienced before. She timidly covered her now naked breasts and hard, pink nipples, suddenly embarrassed at the animal look in his eyes.

So far Yuuki had done everything he could to not to give in to his baser animal instincts as Touko had teased and kissed him, licked, nipped and sucked on his nipples and chest, and then worked her way down his flat stomach to finally take his penis in her mouth. He couldn't _help_ but moan and gasp at the strength of his feelings of desire and need as they rushed through him with everything that she had been doing, his body responding to her ministrations despite his mind trying to tell him that all of this, everything she had been doing, was wrong, was not what she wanted to be doing; at least not now. But to see her standing naked in front of him, so beautiful, innocent and defenseless, so unsure of herself and what she was doing, the mask of the seductress she was so desperately trying to wear just not quite fitting with what he saw in her eyes, his heart went out to her. He still had no idea what was causing her to do this, but he knew that whatever was bothering her this was the solution that she had come up with.

"T-Touko," he said as she seemed to gather her courage and straddled him again, pressing her soaking wet, cotton covered vagina against his now bare manhood. She started riding him again, rocking back and forth slowly, and it was now Touko that moaned and gasped at the sensations arising from her most private area. He could feel his dick becoming slick with her juices as she slid back and forth, pressing herself heavily into him. If she kept this up there was no chance that he would be able to hold back.

"Touko, why?" he asked her, begging. "Why are you doing this? You know this isn't what you want. It's not what either of us wants! Do you want this to be the memory you carry forever as your first time? I love you so much Touko, but I want to be able to hold you and caress you when we finally make love for the first time."

"I...I love...I love you too Yuuki," she gasped as she continued to rock on top of him, her breathing becoming rapid as she felt herself coming closer and closer to the edge. "And you're right...I...never expected...wanted...my first time...to be like...this...b-but my p-parents told me...this morning...that they had...scheduled an omiai...for tomorrow afternoon...and I wanted to make sure...that...aaahhh" she moaned as she felt herself almost reaching that point she had only previously felt when she had pleasured herself, but oh so much stronger than ever before, "that I would not...be eligible for...whoever...they had...chosen."

"Do you know how stupid that is, you idiot!" he yelled, partially for being furious at her parents for doing something like that, partially for her idiotic decision as to how to handle it, and partially from trying to hold back his own body's desire. "If that's all it is then I'll talk to your parents and tell them that I will fight ANYONE that tries to come between us."

"I'm sorry Yuuki," she cried, "but I don't want to take any chances of being separated from you," she said as she finally stopped her rocking and grasped his throbbing, twitching cock in one hand and pulled her panties away from her soaking slit with the other. "This is the only way," she wailed, as she spread the lips of her now bare pussy, glistening with her juices, sliding it up and down against his hot penis, soaking him with her love before she positioned the head of his cock at the opening of her spread lips and prepared to plunge herself onto it, mentally preparing herself for the brief pain she anticipated.

"NOOOOO," Yuuki screamed and pushed down with the tips of his feet with all his might. Even with Touko sitting on his lap, his desperation to save her from herself gave him enough strength to send the chair flying backwards to fall on the floor, the combined weight of himself and Touko enough to not only shatter the chair but to almost shatter the bones in his arms at the same time. It also gave him the chance to finally wrest his hands free from the cords she had bound him with.

Touko was lying on his bare chest crying and sobbing while he simply held her and rubbed her hair and back. Despite the fact that they were both essentially naked, his thoughts were centered not on her body, or on his finally shrinking penis, but only on what she needed from him emotionally at that moment.

"Shhh, it's all right, Touko. It's all right," he whispered softly into her hair. "I'll talk to your parents. I'll let them know how I feel about you, about how much I love you, and I'm sure they'll see that we should be together. I love you, Touko," he told her as he kissed the top of her head.

"H-how can you still say that, after what I have done to you," she cried into his chest.

"I can say that because it's true," he whispered as he continued to stroke her back gently. "I know that this wasn't what you wanted to do. I know that you wouldn't have done it if you thought that there was any other way. I do want to make love to you, Touko, but only when you are really ready."

"B-But…the omiai," she cried.

"It's just one meeting," he tried to console her. "It's not like they expect an immediate answer. You can go and simply talk to the person. That's all you have to do tomorrow," he tried to explain gently through his anger and jealousy. "It will be all right. I'll come over to your house tomorrow afternoon and we can speak to your parents together. I know that they like me. You just have to get through this one meeting. I promise."

"Y-you promise, Yuuki?" she sniffed.

"I said so, didn't I?" he said softly as he placed another gentle kiss on her hair. He told her again that he would fight and argue with anyone that tried to marry her off without her agreement, whether it was her parents or anyone else. He had been so thrilled when Yumi had told him that she and Sachiko had been able to talk the Ogasawara heiress' parents out of the arranged marriage with Kashiwagi-san, not only because two of the girls he loved could now spend their lives together, but just because he could not stand to see any woman forced into marriage simply for business or tradition's sake.

It seemed that Touko was finally calming down enough to really listen to him and understand and believe in what he was saying.

"I love you Yuuki," Touko said as she finally raised her head to look into his eyes; her tears finally slowing.

"And I love you Touko. We'll get through this...together."

"Well," she giggled after a few moments, "I guess that I don't have much more that I can hide from you now that you have seen my naked body."

"Same back at you," he chuckled before he smiled gently at her, "and it's a very beautiful body. I wouldn't mind seeing more of it, and feeling more of it...but this time without my hands tied," he laughed softly.

"Same back at you, too," she laughed as she kissed his chest again, this time without any seduction in mind, only as a means to show him how much she loved him and trusted him.

Throughout her attempted rape of his body he had remained everything that she had ever loved about him: tender, kind, chivalrous, upright...but still a man with a man's needs. And the sight of his body...she wanted to see more of it. Touch more of it. She wanted him to touch her as well. She now had a taste of what making love to him might be like and she wanted more. Much more. She shuddered at the thought of his strong, callused hands touching her in ways she had only dreamed of before.

"Are you all right Touko?" he asked with concern as she quivered on top of him.

"Just a little cold," she lied.

The two got dressed slowly, with him helping her into her dress, allowing his fingertips to lightly brush her sweaty but tender white skin. They kissed and touched each other softly, slowing the process, but neither cared as they gently explored what would shortly, they hoped, be a much more in-depth investigation of each other's bodies.

When they reluctantly finished dressing they left the Rose Mansion hand-in-hand and Yuuki walked her to her bus, again promising to meet with her parents the next afternoon after she was finished with her omiai. They shared a sweet kiss before she boarded her bus for the trip home.

He sighed as he watched the bus pull away. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he waited for his own bus to arrive, tenderly cupping his privates where they ached.

It was going to be a long, bumpy, painful ride home.

-oo-

Yuuki loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button on the white dress shirt he always wore to church each Sunday. He and the rest of his family always went out for lunch at a local family restaurant after attending mass. Sachiko usually joined them, but she had had to head over to her family's estate for a morning meeting with her father and grandfather. Yuuki normally enjoyed these times with his family, especially with Yumi now that she was finally feeling better. It was getting harder and harder to spend time with her since she had moved into the apartment with Sachi.

Today, however, his thoughts constantly returned to the previous evening's scene with Touko. It was his intention to head straight to Touko's house after they got home so that he could confront her parents. He was prepared to wait on their doorstep all afternoon and evening if that was what it took.

"Hey Dad," Yumi exclaimed, "this isn't our usual restaurant."

Yuuki looked up from where he had been contemplating the hands in his lap to see that they had pulled into the parking lot for a hotel restaurant.

"Yeah, I just felt like taking you all someplace special today," Yuichiro replied with a grin. "You've both been working so hard on your schoolwork and on the Foundation that I wanted to treat you to say how proud your mother and I are of you."

After parking the car the Fukuzawa family walked into the restaurant where Yuichiro spoke to the maître d'. The man checked their name off a list and asked them to please follow him. He led them down a short, traditional, paper-walled hallway to a sliding door set just before the entrance to the restaurant proper. He slid the door open for them and then stood aside so that they could enter.

"It will just be a moment Fukuzawa-sama," the maître d' said with a bow. "A waitress will be by shortly to take your drink order. In the meantime there is tea in the pot on the table for your pleasure."

"Thank you," Yuuki's father said with a nod. Yumi poured tea for everyone around the short, Japanese style dining table after they had all situated themselves. "This is kind of nice, isn't it Miki?" his father asked.

"Yes it is. I love the traditional paper walls. I would guess that you could slide these open either to the outside or to another room to make it larger," his mother replied with a grin as she sipped her tea after glancing around the room. "Oh, this is wonderful," she exclaimed after tasting the English Breakfast blend.

A knock came on the door and the maître d' returned to usher another group into the room. Yuuki's jaw dropped as his eyes were taken by the beautiful girl with the spiral pigtails dressed in a formal floral, long sleeved kimono.

"T-T-Touko-chan!" he stammered.

"Y-Yuuki-kun!" she stuttered in equal surprise.

At which point both families, the Fukuzawas and the Matsudairas, started laughing at the two shocked teens.

"I know that we said that you were going to an omiai, Touko-chan," her father smiled a bit sheepishly, "and I'm sorry if I worried you, but it might better be called a family gathering, since the two of you are still much too young to get married right away."

"But it has been impossible for any of us to not see how much the two of you are in love, and we wanted to find a way to let you know that, if it is what you desire, than we would not stand in your way if you wanted to marry sometime in the future," Yuichiro said as well.

"And personally," Touko's grandfather said as he slowly knelt down at the table, "I was very impressed by this young man when he came to visit our little hospital, Yuichiro-san. He showed that he was both intelligent as well as caring when it came to both the business and the patient care sides of what we do. I would be very happy if he were to eventually follow in my footsteps, hand-in-hand with my little Touko-chi, and take over the family business."

"O-Ojii-sama!" Yuuki stammered in shock before he turned to look first at Touko, seeing the pure desire in her eyes, and then to her parents. His course was now clear.

Yuuki bowed low from his waist towards Touko-chan's father. "Matsudaira-sama, it would be a great honor if you would allow me to court your daughter with the intent to marry her as soon as I can properly provide for her," he said solemnly.

"I wouldn't be here, son, if I did not think that you were a worthy match for my daughter," Touko's father replied with a smile.

Yumi, who was sitting next to him, gave Yuuki a big hug and then whispered into his ear. Yuuki nodded his head and then stood up and walked around the table to where Touko knelt between her mother and father.

"Touko-san," Yuuki said as he knelt before her and gently took her hand in his own, "it would also be the greatest of honors if you would consider someone as unworthy as myself as a potential future husband. Would you please do me the honor of allowing me to court you with the intent to formally ask you to marry me as soon as I can properly provide for you?"

"Y-yes, Yuuki-san. I-I would love to m-marry you," she stammered nervously but with a bright smile, tears of joy streaming from her eyes. She would even forgive her parents for what they had put her through if they were willing to allow the two of them to marry.

"And he knows who he really needs to ask," Touko's mother said approvingly as she shared a knowing look and smile with Miki.

"Oh, just kiss her you dummy!" Yumi exclaimed with a huge grin as she bounced on her heels.

Yuuki wasn't going to have to be told twice as he gathered his love in his arms and gave her a soft, gentle kiss that Touko joyously returned.

"Meet me at the Rose Mansion tonight?" Touko whispered in his ear with a grin.

"Are there going to be silken bindings involved?" he chuckled softly in reply.

"Only if you want them," she giggled.

"I think I would prefer my hands free this time," he smirked, "I didn't get to use them anywhere near as much as I would have liked."

Touko-chan just giggled, now excited that the two of them would be able to be together...properly...in just a few hours time.

"It's a good thing that there is a shower at the Rose Mansion," she said shyly.

"What are you two whispering about?" Yumi asked with a knowing grin.

"N-nothing, onee-sama," Touko-chan replied with a bright blush, "nothing at all!"

_Damn_, her panties were _already_ getting wet!


	6. My Name is Alice

A/N: All right, this started out as a character development for Alice (Kintarou Arisugawa). The more I read, the more I wrote, the more I fell in love with her character. Yes, I use that pronoun purposely. If Sei is the only avowed lesbian in Oyuki Konno's series of stories, Alice is the only true transgendered (MtF) character. Frankly, I blame Konno's editors for not allowing her to explore these characters the way she surely wanted to. However, that gives us, her fans, the capability of doing that exploration for her. Or, to be more precise, extrapolation. The following is my, albeit completely amateur and unknowing, delving into Alice's character.

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><p>Imagine you're in your third-year at Lillian Girls' Academy sitting at a table in Mama Cho's sipping jasmine tea and nibbling on sweet egg tarts with a female friend of the same year. Now imagine that Mami Yamaguchi sits down at the table with you and takes out her pen, pad, and voice recorder. After a bit of small talk between Mami, a reporter and editor for the <em>Lillian Kawaraban<em>, and your friend you hear the following:

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><p><strong>My Name is Alice<strong>

If asked, my legal name is Kintarou Arisugawa, but please just call me Alice.

If you know the story of the original Kintarou, the _Golden Boy_ of the Heian period who was raised in the wilds, had all the animals of the forests as his friends, and was so brave and powerful that he could destroy demons and monsters with relative ease, you will realize just how stupid it is that I was named after him. I have always wondered whether my parents truly wished for me to be as brave and strong as the legendary Kintarou or if it was just someone's idea of a cosmic joke.

I mean look at me! I'm barely 153cm, have a slender, effeminate build, a girly face and light brown, curly (alright, fluffy! Sheesh!) hair and large brown eyes. I look more like a girl than most girls I know!

And frankly…I like it this way. I like being able to dress as a girl and walk down the street with no one recognizing the fact that I have the body of a boy. It can be a bit awkward sometimes, and not a little dangerous when guys try to hit on me, but I've always been fairly fleet of foot. Let's face it, with my physique I'm never going to be able to fight my way out of a bad situation, as has been proven on at least one memorable occasion. But I hope you'll forgive me if we won't get into that. It brings back some fairly painful memories.

I think my parents finally gave up on me ever living up to my name the day my mother caught me trying on my younger sister's clothes when I was twelve. Yes, you heard that right, my _younger_ sister's clothes. At nine she was already a little taller and bigger than I was. When my Mom caught me looking at myself in a full-length mirror dressed in my sister's Easter dress (complete with bonnet and, I'm ashamed to say, her matching pastel green panties) she had a conniption. I'm sure that the neighbors three blocks away could hear her screams of betrayal.

It took a while, about two years to be exact, but both of my parents finally submitted to the fact that I would never be a "manly man" at any time in my life. And, as it turns out, once she got over the initial shock my Mom decided that I looked _really good_ in my sister's clothes. Instead of Himeko (yeah, my parents have this weird thing about names) wearing my hand-me-downs I became the recipient of the shorts, skirts, skorts, pants, blouses and dresses that she outgrew. Luckily we also have similar tastes in clothing even though I lean a bit more toward skirts and blouses while she prefers dresses. It actually worked out fairly well for me because her growth spurts were about the same as mine until she turned thirteen, with me always being slightly behind her. That was the year she grew a little over 10cm in just six months and filled out in quite the womanly manner. I hear that puberty will sometimes do that to you (_the bitch!_). I could still wear her clothes but they looked too long and oversized for me so it just wasn't a good fit anymore. Nowadays I buy my own clothes and undergarments. (No, I won't show you! Geez!)

Growing up it was always easier to hang out with the girls than it was the guys. The guys would usually end up teasing or bullying me because of my girlish looks while the girls treated me more like one of their own. I was never sure whether they liked me for being me or if I was just a cute little dress-up doll for them, but at least they never treated me unkindly. We'd have long "girl talks" about guys, idols, actors and whatever shoujo manga was popular at the time and I seemed to fit right in with them.

We would also go shopping or try on clothes together at one of my friend's houses every so often. I think I was thirteen when one of my female friends was changing into a set of her new "adult" style undies and she suddenly remembered that there was a guy in the room. Believe it or not she didn't freak. I did, however, end up being totally stripped and forced to wear that same set of underwear (they stuffed extra pads in the bra). You should have seen the pout on her face when she realized that I looked better in her underwear than she did despite the bulge in the front of the panties. Her face was absolutely precious!

Oh yeah, just so that you don't get the wrong idea, I have never considered myself to be a cross-dresser. If anything I feel like I'm cosplaying when I'm wearing guys clothes; especially my school uniform. Since I have always considered myself to be a girl stuck in the body of a boy, girl's clothes reflect my true image of myself.

All together now class, can we say "_Transsexual_?" Very Good Class!

These days I'm much more open about my situation as well as my orientation. No, they're not the same thing! What the heck have you been reading? _Bailey!_ Please! Do the world a favor and burn that damn book! In my specific case, transsexual or transgender, depending on whether you're speaking medically or socially, means I'm a girl stuck in a boy's body. That, however, has absolutely _nothing_ to do with my sexual orientation despite what that self-aggrandizing quack says. I have fantasized and even had crushes on boys as well as girls so if anyone asked I'd have to say that I'm bisexual. Now, have I totally confused you? Welcome to the club! (Sigh.)

I'll admit that, identity wise, I'm one hundred percent female. Personality wise, on the other hand, I _lean_ much more towards the feminine than the masculine in both thought and deed. Just like everyone else out there in the world I'm a little bit of both. I do, however, have what you might consider my "manly" moments. It's just the way I was brought up. As small as I am I will still jump in every time if I see a girl getting bullied. Now I tend to come out on the bad end of those encounters, but it hasn't ever stopped me. I just don't see how anyone can treat a girl improperly. I don't care if it's a guy or a girl doing the bullying. Anyone who takes pleasure in the bullying, beating, or belittling of others is really just a savage barely above the beasts as far as I'm concerned. I guess it's probably one of my qualities that has most endeared me to my female friends…and confused the hell out of them as well. Am I the man of their dreams or the girl of their dreams? For the longest time I didn't know how to answer them. Now I do.

Rei-sama? No, I won't comment on anyone else. That would be unethical. Feel free to ask her yourself if you feel up to it, but let me give you a little word of advice: Don't ask her if she's holding her shinai or if Yoshino-sama is there. If you do, be sure to tell Inoue-sensei hello for me when you see her.

As for guy friends, now that I'm older I seem to be getting along better with guys than when I was younger.

When my parents caught me wearing my sister's clothes they immediately enrolled me in an all-boys school, Hanadera Academy, hoping it would toughen me up. Boy, were they in for a shock! Hanadera is a school for the elite families of Japan and, as with all powerful and rich families they all have at least one "black sheep" in the fold. Just like my parents did, they send those oddballs to Hanadera and for the exact same reason. The teachers and administrators do go through the motions of trying to make these boys acceptable to regular society, but it's all for show. Mostly what they teach us is how to blend in with the straight crowd. I swear half of the teaching staff is gay!

In my first-year of high school at Hanadera the most popular boy in the school was a guy by the name of Suguru Kashiwagi. Not only was he popular, he was also the student body president. He was also from a rich and powerful family, but one that had seen better times I guess. Despite his being a somewhat closeted gay (I think he was only out to his family at the time) for business purposes they affianced him to a girl a year younger than him by the name of Sachiko Ogasawara. She is the only child of Tooru and Sayako Ogasawara and heiress to the Ogasawara Zaibatsu; arguably one of the most powerful business families in the country. Did I tell you that Sachiko is, or at least was, a man-hater? I think it has something to do with Suguru but I'm not really sure.

Of course, neither of them wanted to go through with the marriage, but let's discuss that little issue later. It's a relatively long story, what I know of it, and I wouldn't want to bore you. Also, I'm sure there are others that could tell the tale much better than I could.

Suguru took a fancy to me for some reason (certainly not for the reason _I_ wanted!) and pulled me into the student council to act as his secretary. Since I was especially good at writing and taking notes it wasn't much of a chore and I actually came to enjoy my time with the rest of the group. Did I find myself crushing on Suguru? You had better believe it! I mean the guy is absolutely gorgeous! He's tall, with a somewhat unruly mop of raven black hair and really deep amethyst eyes. He has a slender build but comes across as masculine in just about every way. He also has the most kissable lips that I have ever seen! I get a hard-on just thinking about him! (Squeal!)

Unfortunately he only has eyes for another guy that he brought into the council around the same time as me. Frankly, I just can't bring myself to blame him. (Sigh.)

Yuuki Fukuzawa is somewhere in between me and Suguru looks-wise. He has a really pretty face even if it is a little effeminate, medium brown hair (also somewhat unruly. What is it about these good looking guys and their lack of a comb?), innocent brown eyes and is only a few cm taller than myself. His body style is also somewhat between myself and Suguru. His body is not quite as effeminate looking as mine is, but neither is it quite as masculine as Suguru's. In other words, he's _perfect_! (Down boy!) Let me tell you, Yuuki-kun has figured prominently in more than one of my fantasies, usually with myself, a naked Suguru-kun, a can of whipped cream and a bowl of cherries. (Freudian much!) Actually, I think I'll keep those as my little secret. I wouldn't want to be blamed for all of those wet bed sheets out there that would need cleaning in the morning (wink, wink).

I'd really like to hate him for being the object of my crush's desires, but Yuuki-kun is just too nice. He treats me with grace and respect, just the way I want to be treated. He was also one of the first to call me Alice instead of Kintarou. How can I not like the guy! I mean, he's totally accepted me for who I am; fetishes and all. Unfortunately he's as straight as an arrow. Ugh! I think I'll just have to settle for having him as a friend. (No, I don't mean a friend with benefits! Get your mind out of the gutter! Although…).

In a way I kind of feel sorry for Suguru-kun. As I said, Yuuki-kun is straight. There's even a girl that he likes. She's almost as good looking as I am if you can get past those drills she calls her pigtails. I'm just kidding. She's actually a very nice girl when you get to know her. Anyway, that means that Suguru-kun is out of luck on that front, especially since Yuuki-kun's girlfriend is Suguru-kun's cousin. Then again, maybe that opens up the door for me again? I'll have to think about that. Do you think he'd consider a transgendered bisexual?

Where did I get all my confidence? I'd probably have to say from Yuuki-kun and Yumi-sama. The way they both accepted me for who I am with no questions asked was both surprising and extremely vindicating. For the very first time in my life someone saw me! Not some weak-willed girly boy that likes to wear women's clothes. Talk about a shot of self-respect! And everyone else seemed to follow their lead. First it was Masamune-kun, then Magane-kun started to treat me like a girl. From there it kind of snowballed until even people outside the two councils were treating me like a girl. Gaining that kind of acceptance had a huge impact on my self-confidence and the way I viewed myself. When I realized that there were people out there that would accept me for being myself, without reservation, it was like the weight of the entire world had been lifted off my shoulders. I realized that I wasn't a freak and that I actually had a lot to offer people, not only as a person and a friend, but as a girlfriend as well. That's also why I'm saving myself for just that right person who will love me the way I deserve to be loved. I think I'm worth it!

If you were to ask me about my plans for the future I know my parents would like me to take over some of the company's businesses, but I think I'd rather be a corporate secretary or something of a similar nature. As I said before, I enjoy writing and take notes; turning ideas into reality. In addition to my normal schoolwork and my work for the Student Council I also like to take notes on the things I see going on around me and the people I find interesting. I hope that one of these days I'll be able to compile them into a story that will entertain people from all over the world. That's one of the things you'll find out about me. I feel that I have been so blessed during my life – with parents that love me despite my little idiosyncrasies and friends that care for me despite my oddness – that I want to find some way to give back to others. I've heard from Yuuki-kun that someone over at Lillian started up a charitable organization called The Rose Foundation. Now that's something I'd really like to help out with if they'd let me.

And to answer the one question I know you've been dying to ask, I honestly don't know whether or not I will eventually have any extensive surgical procedures done. I mean, on the one hand don't you think giving up what amounts to seven inches of pure pleasure would be kind of a waste? (Giggle.) Then again I wouldn't mind adding a nice set of B or even C-cups up here. I've been considering talking to my doctor about everything I can do short of surgery. You know, like going on a hormone regimen to see if I can grow a pair. (no, not those! Those I've got!) I think surgical implants would be kind of a last resort. I hate the thought of pain. And don't get me started about scars! Believe me; I've got plenty of those from my younger days.

But that's a story for another time.

* * *

><p>AN: Special thanks to DrYuriMom for her comments an insight. I feel much better now Doc ;)

Take care everyone,

CX


	7. A Budding Friendship

A/N: While you all are anxiously awaiting (or not) the next chapter of Foundation, I thought I'd pass this one on. to you. This is just my take on how Yumi and Yoshino became best friends. It was pretty much ignored in the anime and, while the light novel goes into much greater detail, I kind of wanted to build their relationship my own way.

I do not own MSGM or any of its characters. All such honors belong to Oyuki Konno.

**A Budding Friendship**

"I'm sorry we're late," Yoshino Shimazu heard a familiar aristocratic voice call from across the gymnasium floor. She had been leaning against the wall watching her grande soeur and cousin, the Rosa Foetida en Bouton, Rei Hasekura, try to learn the intricate dance steps of a waltz and wishing she could be out there on the floor dancing with Rei. More than ever she was frustrated that her body - her heart really - could not stand up to something even as delicate as a waltz.

The call had come from the double door entrance to the gym in the distinctive voice of the Rosa Chinensis en Bouton, Sachiko Ogasawara. Yoshino knew, even before she turned to look, that the elegant "Ice Princess of Lillian" would be walking gracefully over the hardwood floor, her expression warm and smiling for the large crowd of students involved in the Yamayurikai's production of _Cinderella_. She also knew that that smile could be put on and taken off just like any other mask that the heiress was required to wear from time to time and would most assuredly not be reflected in the raven haired beauty's azure eyes.

So she was not only surprised, but shocked to see that Sachiko's typical grace seemed to have deserted her. Instead she was striding across the floor as if on a mission and the smile on her lips had definitely infiltrated her usually cold but now sparkling eyes. It was still too early to be sure, but Yoshino thought that those eyes and that smile just might have something to do with the young, wide-eyed girl that the bouton was dragging behind her by the hand. What _was_ sure was that the presence of that young lady was likely the very first thing to bring a grin to Yoshino's own lips the entire day.

Yoshino had met Yumi Fukuzawa, a fellow first-year at Lillian, just the previous day as the pigtailed girl had been bowled over and knocked on her keister by an irate Sachiko as she went storming out of the meeting room of the Rose Mansion. She had then watched silently as a bewildered and scared young girl had first been grilled by the Roses and then insulted when Sachiko offered to take her as her petite soeur purely as a means to get out of playing the role of Cinderella and having to dance with the student council president of Hanadera Boy's Academy. Only the death squeeze Rei had put on their joined hands beneath the table had kept Yoshino from lashing out in defense of this sweet young girl.

Yoshino had easily seen both the shock and sadness that had rushed through Yumi's mind; her expressive face unable to keep the emotions from boiling out. And she had seen the crushing indecisiveness in her eyes when Sachiko had started to put her rosary around the shorter girl's neck.

But she had also seen that girl's back straighten and her pride rise to the fore when she told Sachiko that she could not become her soeur. Yoshino had been so proud of Yumi, to stand up for herself and deny herself something that she so obviously and dearly wanted just because of the way, and for the reason, that it had been offered to her.

In that moment Yoshino had decided that there was more to this young girl than met the eye. She was determined to get to know her better and, for some as yet unknown reason, to protect her if she could.

Yoshino watched as Rei and Sachiko began dancing to the triple time waltz. Sachiko was as smooth and graceful as anyone could ever want. Rei was doing fairly well, at least for a non-dancer with only a half hour's practice in a choreographed dance scene. Only her cousin's martial arts training kept her from making a complete fool of herself, yet even then Yoshino giggled softly when she saw Rei inadvertently step on Sachiko's foot.

She watched Rei's lips move as the tall blonde apologized to her blue eyed partner, but the two never broke rhythm. Despite the fact that she knew Rei loved her more than anyone else in the world, Yoshino felt a pang of jealousy as she watched the two glide and spin across the floor. She was pretty sure that she was simply jealous that it was Sachiko that Rei held in her arms and not herself, but she had yet to really allow herself to delve too deeply into that whirlpool of emotions that had been roiling within her for months now.

When the music stopped and Youko Mizuno, the Rosa Chinensis, began directing the dancers about their starting positions and reminding them of the need to play to the audience, Yoshino looked across at Yumi leaning against the wall, talking to Sei Satou, the Rosa Gigantea.

Suddenly Sei took the younger girl by the hand and pulled her out onto the gym floor. She saw Sei tap a triple time on the frightened Yumi's shoulder and the two started dancing a waltz. It was patently obvious that Yumi had never danced before and Yoshino had to hide a smile behind her hand as she tried desperately not to giggle again.

"Everyone," Sei yelled out as the two dancers came to an inelegant stop, realizing that almost every eye in the large room was on them, "I would like to introduce you to a new friend who will be joining the dance group starting today. This is Fukuzawa Yumi-chan. Please take good care of her." Sei whispered briefly into Yumi's ear and then turned back to the group. "Could someone please pair with her?"

Silence. Deathly silence.

Oh, no, this was not good! Not good at all! Everyone seemed to be trying to look in any direction other than Yumi's. Yoshino purposefully caught the eyes of her grande soeur and gave her a significant look. Rei nodded in understanding. It was for this reason, along with so many others, that Yoshino really loved her cousin.

"All right, I'll dance with her," Rei smiled, holding up a hand.

"Eeehhh?" Yumi squeaked, "b-but you're dancing with Sachiko-sama!" the young girl protested.

"I've always known that I am only a stand in for the Hanadera president," Rei explained with a grin, "so it's all good, right?"

"Ah, um, thank you," Yumi said shyly as Rei walked over and took her by the hand. They positioned themselves for the start of the dance and, when the music began, the two new dancers did their best which, from where Yoshino stood, was not all that good but at least they were trying.

Yumi spent the first third of the dance trying to watch her feet until Rei said something to the brown eyed girl. They got a little better after that, but then Yumi's eyes seemed to be constantly searching for Sachiko-sama. The desire that Yoshino was able to read in those expressive brown eyes was heartbreaking.

Yet while Yumi watched Sachiko, everyone else, at least those from the dance club, seemed to be watching Yumi and Rei. Yoshino could see the confusion and concern in some of those eyes, but some also held more than a touch of contempt, as if to say "just who do you think you are, rejecting Sachiko-sama, then dancing with Sei-sama, and then to be dancing with Rei-sama. Don't get above yourself!"

Those feelings must have been transmitted to Yumi because she suddenly stopped dancing.

"I-I just remembered…I have something I have to do," she said quickly and then took off at a run, out the double doors and into the late afternoon sun.

It was Rei's turn to give Yoshino a look. Yoshino nodded and started after Yumi. There was no way her body would allow her to try to catch the running girl, but Yoshino was pretty sure where she would find her.

-oo-

"There's n-no way that Sachiko-sama would seriously consider asking someone like _m-me_ to be her soeur," Yumi whimpered tearfully before she collapsed crying to the floor, hiding her face behind her trembling hands as five or six girls surrounded her.

That was the scene Yoshino walked in on and the poignant words that she heard as Yumi broke down in front of the shoe lockers. Simple words, but they said so much of what the young girl thought of herself and the situation she was in.

The girls standing around her, her friends and acquaintances Yoshino assumed, had obviously been trying to find out what was going on between Yumi and Sachiko-sama. Why she was still with the beautiful girl if she had rejected her rosary. Why she was hanging around with the members of the Yamayurikai and dancing with both Rosa Gigantea and Rosa Foetida en Bouton. Those same people were now trying desperately to console the girl they had driven to tears.

They had no right!

"Leave her alone! Don't you think you've caused enough trouble?" Yoshino yelled as she walked up to where Yumi was still sitting on the floor crying. Of course, they attempted to explain that they were simply trying to understand the situation between Yumi-san and Sachiko-sama. "Whatever the situation is, that is between the two of them and the Yamayurikai. You all are just trying to get some gossip that you can spread to make you look big in front of your friends. Is this what friends do to each other? Make them cry? I'm ashamed of all of you!"

"We're sorry Yoshino-san…"

"We didn't want…"

"We weren't thinking…"

"That's right, you weren't thinking! You certainly weren't thinking about Yumi-san!" she berated them as she knelt down and took Yumi into her arms. The poor girl turned her face into Yoshino's breast and continued to weep, clutching her tightly around her waist. Yoshino stroked her hair and whispered how everything was going to be alright. "Please, everyone, just leave her alone," she said more quietly. "If you want to be real friends to her then do whatever you can to support and protect her. She deserves so much better than this."

The looks of shame, sorrow, and embarrassment in the faces around her were genuine. She thought that these girls would, from now on, take much better care of their friend than they had previously.

"Come on, Yumi-san. Let's get you out of here. I'll get your bag and we can go over to the Rose Mansion for a while until things cool down." She felt rather than heard the girl's agreement and, as they stood and grabbed her things from her locker, Yoshino kept a close eye on her. She had wiped the tears from her eyes and was trying valiantly to gather herself back together. _This girl has a lot more strength than she gives herself credit for_, Yoshino thought.

The two walked slowly over to the Rose Mansion, Yumi unconsciously shortening and slowing her stride to accommodate Yoshino's less than energetic steps. Yoshino smiled to herself. Yumi knew absolutely nothing about her but had automatically and without thought done what was necessary to accommodate the needs of her companion. It was just one more piece of information regarding the character of this simple yet enigmatic girl.

"Th-thank you, Yoshino-san," Yumi said quietly. "I don't know what came over me. It…it's just all so sudden. Up until now I have been happy just watching Sachiko-sama from a distance. To be thrown into the limelight, everyone watching me and judging me, wondering why Sachiko-sama would want to choose someone like me to be her petite soeur or why someone like me could have the temerity to reject her offer…"

"Why did you reject her, Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked. "I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but I'd like to hear your own reasoning."

"It…it was just…I really _do_ want to be her soeur," Yumi tried to explain, her thoughts seeming to bounce around inside her skull like ping pong balls. "It would be a dream come true for me but, to be offered her rosary just so that she could get out of playing Cinderella - offering her rosary to someone she had never met before yesterday morning and didn't even know my name when she tried to introduce me to the Roses yesterday. I could have been anyone. Any first-year would do, it didn't matter to her. Is that the way I want to become her soeur? Isn't a soeur relationship supposed to be based on something _more…_something _better_?"

"I understand, Yumi-san," Yoshino nodded, putting her arm around the distraught girl's shoulders as tears once again threatened to fall. It was exactly as she thought, but it was good to hear it from Yumi's own lips. "I thought so myself yesterday, that you really did want to become her soeur, but not in that manner and not for those reasons. It took a lot of courage to turn her down. I could see it in your eyes."

Yumi blushed as Yoshino pressed on. "But you have your own pride and needs to be met. You want Sachiko-sama to see you for who you are, not just some first-year that could get her out of a jam. Yes, Yumi-san, that took a lot of courage. I'm not sure I would have been able to do the same if I was in your shoes, but I know that, despite their words, you impressed at least some of the Roses when you did so."

Yoshino watched as Yumi wiped her tears and looked up into her eyes. The reassurance seemed to be having the desired impact, so she continued. "Rei and I talked about it last night, and even she was impressed with your courage. It was so obvious that, as you say, anyone might have been acceptable at that time. Instead, you stood up for yourself and, we think, taught Sachiko-sama a thing or two about how to treat someone properly."

Yumi laughed weakly, "I doubt that I could teach Sachiko-sama anything. She's so much better and grander than I am."

"Not better!" Yoshino protested. "Grander maybe, but not better, Yumi-san. Different, certainly, but even she has her faults and weaknesses. Being rich or powerful does not automatically make you a better person. I honestly think that you could teach her a lot, Yumi-san." Yumi was shaking her head in denial of Yoshino's words but the braided girl refused to let up.

"Let me tell you something. I have seen all sorts of emotions in Sachiko-sama's eyes over the past number of months, but today was the first time I ever saw her eyes sparkle like that and it was because _you_ were holding her hand. _You_ were making her happy, Yumi-san. Isn't that something that a petite soeur is expected to do?"

Yumi didn't say anything, but she had a shy smile on her face as the two approached the front door of the Rose Mansion.

-oo-

Yumi pulled a handkerchief out of her skirt pocket and wiped at her still tearing eyes as Yoshino-san led her into the old building. Yoshino had certainly helped her out of a sticky situation in front of the shoe lockers, and had even seemed to understand why she had rejected Sachiko-sama's rosary. She had not paid much attention to the silent girl yesterday, but the young woman with the long, dark brown braids in twin-tails down her back was certainly much more talkative today. And she had chided those girls so vehemently earlier in coming to Yumi's defense.

It had surprised her somewhat, but what had surprised her even more was the warmth and safety she had felt when Yoshino-san had held her while she cried. It wasn't a feeling that she had enjoyed very often except from her direct family members. It almost seemed like Yoshino-san really cared for her.

And Yumi had found herself opening up to her and trying hard to explain why she had acted as she had the previous day. She wasn't sure why, but for some reason she had a strong desire to win this girl's acceptance.

But Yumi had been hurt in the past when she too quickly jumped to conclusions where friendship was concerned. The memory of her thinking Shimako-san truly wanted to be her friend rose up in her mind, along with the heartbreak of realizing that Shimako was just that nice to everyone and that Yumi wasn't anything special to her.

She didn't want to feel that way again, but she was willing to give Yoshino-san a chance. She had certainly shown a deep and caring side of herself, but Yumi decided that she would continue to hold her heart close for a little while longer, just in case.

The two walked up the creaky old stairs to the meeting room where Yoshino forced her to take a seat while she made up some tea. Yumi decided to take a look around the room while Yoshino was busy at the kitchenette. She had not really taken much notice of her surroundings during yesterday's fiasco and she was surprised to find that she really liked this room.

It was bright and airy with the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows. Despite the fact that it only held a long table and chairs, and was used primarily as a conference room, it felt comfortable. The sparkling white cloth on the table, the sheers on the windows, the little kitchenette in the corner where Yoshino was finishing up brewing their tea, it all felt much more like a home than a student council meeting room.

"Here Yumi-san," Yoshino said as she put a cup of black tea in front of her, "the Roses will probably be back shortly. I assume that you would prefer to be gone before they get here, but please rest and relax at least for a little while," the slender girl said warmly.

"Thank you, and yes, you are right. I shouldn't stay long. Actually, I didn't get the chance to tell my mother that I would be staying late so I really should be going soon," Yumi explained.

"Do you have a cell phone, Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked suddenly.

"No, my parents can't afford one for both myself and my brother, so we do without," she replied.

"My parents really can't afford one either, but they insisted that I carry one," Yoshino said with a nervous grin. "Would you be willing to exchange phone numbers with me so that I can call you sometime? You can always feel free to call me anytime as well, of course," she smiled, "even if it is just to have someone to talk to. I know that the Roses can sometimes be a bit…intimidating, but I would like you to please think of me as a friend."

"O-of course, Yoshino-san! I-I would l-like that very much," Yumi stammered, surprised again that a member of the Yamayurikai wanted to befriend her. The two swapped phone numbers and spoke for a little longer. Yumi told her a little about herself and about her family; how she had, until recently, been much more of a loner until she made friends with Katsura-san and Tsutako-san.

"Oh, you mean the glasses-girl who was with you yesterday. I've heard of her, although I have never met her before." Yoshino then giggled. "It seemed that she was ready to take Sachiko-sama's head off there for a while. She certainly seems to care a lot about you, Yumi-san."

"She has become a very good friend over the past few months," Yumi agreed with a shy but warm smile, "although she has this thing about always trying to take my picture," she giggled.

"I can see why," Yoshino agreed with a laugh, "the expressions you sometimes show."

Yumi pretended to pout a bit before she too started to laugh. The two spent a few more minutes sharing tales before Yumi realized that she would have to get moving if she didn't want her mother to worry…or to get caught again by Sachiko-sama.

"Thank you for everything today, Yoshino-san," she said, trying to convey how much she truly appreciated all that the girl had done for her. "I really do appreciate it. And I had fun. You are very easy to talk to. Please, feel free to call me anytime," she said as she gathered her things together.

"Just so long as you agree to the same, Yumi-san," Yoshino smiled. "You can call me any time you want or need to talk. I mean that! I would very much like to get to know you better."

"Same here, Yoshino-san," Yumi grinned.

-oo-

Yoshino opened the door to the Rose Mansion the next afternoon after completing her classroom cleaning duties and was immediately set upon by Sei-sama.

"Yoshino-chan, let's go into the kitchen for a moment, shall we," the tall, western looking girl said with a smirking grin that told the younger girl that something was up. Yoshino called her on it.

"Does something have to be going on? Can't I just share a cup of tea with a kohai?" Sei asked with wide-eyed innocence that didn't fool the younger girl for a second.

"With you, there's always something you have up your sleeve, Sei-sama," Yoshino huffed.

Sei threw her hand over her heart. "You wound me Yoshino-chan," she pouted, but then smiled and went on to explain. "Sachiko-chan is upstairs with Yumi-chan and I was thinking that we should give them a few minutes alone together," Sei grinned wolfishly.

"What did you do Sei-sama? If you hurt Yumi-san…" Yoshino bridled.

"Are you concerned for her Yoshino-chan?" Sei asked with a genuine smile, no longer teasing. "Good. I'm glad to hear it. It seems like that girl could use a few more friends. And no, I didn't hurt her at all. I just wanted to get Sachiko-chan a little jealous," she explained as they went into the kitchen and Sei started to make some tea. "They're upstairs talking right now."

"Talking? Sachiko-sama and Yumi-san? I'm not sure how much they've actually spoken before," Yoshino said thoughtfully. "Sachiko wouldn't let Yumi-san say too much the day she tried to get Yumi to accept her rosary, and they hardly spoke at all at the rehearsal yesterday." The two contemplative girls were quiet for a few minutes while Sei prepared the tea.

"So what do you think of Yumi-chan, Yoshino-chan?" Sei asked her as she poured her kohai a cup. Yoshino looked again to see if there was any teasing in her eyes, but there seemed to be true concern there instead.

"Seriously?" she asked just to be sure.

"Seriously," Sei responded, handing her the cup of green tea. The tall blonde didn't seem to take any affront at Yoshino's dubiousness regarding her intentions. An uncaring attitude was part of the persona she was portraying these days; despite how that particular skin often chafed her. Even Yoshino could tell that much.

"Well, I think it's still a little too soon to tell," Yoshino replied thoughtfully, "but I think that she would probably make a good match for Sachiko-sama."

"Now why would you think that, Yoshino-chan?" Sei asked, again seemingly truly interested in her opinion.

"Well, I know Yumi-san really does like her, more than just as a fan-girl," Yoshino replied thoughtfully. "From what I saw yesterday I think that Sachiko-sama is starting to see Yumi-san as a person, not just any old first-year. I don't think I've ever seen her smile quite like that."

"I think so too," Sei agreed with her kohai as she gazed into her teacup. "You know, I heard about how you stood up for her yesterday afternoon."

"How did you hear about that?" Yoshino squeaked in embarrassment.

"From Shimako-chan. She overheard a friend of Yumi-chan's, a girl named Katsura I believe, apologizing again for making her cry. She also said that you were right in telling them that they should be ashamed of themselves. You really laid into them, didn't you?" Sei commented with a grin.

"They deserved it," Yoshino replied, angry all over again as she recalled what Yumi's so-called friends had put her through.

"Thank you, Yoshino-chan," Sei smiled at her. "I meant it when I said that Yumi-chan needs more friends. I would appreciate it if you could become one of them."

"Too late, Sei-sama," Yoshino grinned, "I already like her and think of her as a friend."

"Good girl," Sei smirked and patted her head as they heard the front door open and the rest of the Yamayurikai arriving.

Yoshino finished her tea quickly and then got up to begin making more for everyone else. The rehearsal was supposed to take place in the Rose Mansion's living room today since it was just line reading rather than dancing. Everyone must have been making enough noise to attract the attention of Sachiko-sama and Yumi-san because the two girls came walking down the stairs shortly thereafter. As they were about to gather into the living room there was a knock on the door.

"Oh, I'll get it," Yumi-san said and walked briskly toward the front door of the mansion. Yoshino quietly stood by the kitchen door, watching for a moment to see what was up.

"Good day," a large group of girls said in unison as they stood outside the now open doorway.

"Ah, uh, good day," Yumi stammered.

"We're from the handicraft club…"

"We're from the art club…"

"We're from the invention club…"

They all seemed to try to talk at once and Yoshino could see Yumi freezing up. She was about to go to the young girl's rescue when one of the club members spoke up.

"Oh, it's you Yumi-san. Thank goodness you answered the door. Are the Roses available?"

"Um, yes, but, why are you glad that _I_ opened the door?" Yumi asked in confusion.

"Oh, because even though we all adore the Roses they can be a little frightening sometimes," one girl explained.

"You seem much friendlier Yumi-san," another spoke while giving the pigtailed girl a smile.

"I feel more relaxed now, thank you Yumi-san," a third chimed in.

"Oh, well, thank you," Yumi smiled shyly.

It looked like she didn't need Yoshino's help after all, so the braided girl just smiled as she held back a while longer.

"So, you really don't want to be her soeur?" one more girl asked Yumi.

"Eh, what?" Yumi squeaked.

"Well, I'm sure that there are issues involved, I just thought it would be nice if you became Sachiko-sama's petite soeur, Yumi-san," the girl finished.

Yumi's shy smile was back, but so was a wistfulness in her eyes; a desire that she could not hide, at least from Yoshino. It was time to take charge.

"Ladies," Yoshino called above the general tumult as she exited the kitchen while clapping her hands to get everyone's attention focused on her, "if you need to speak to the Roses, could you please go on into the living room and sit down. I'm sure that they will be happy to speak to you, but not all at once."

"Of course, Yoshino-san," a few answered, directing their fellow club members into the room to the right off the foyer.

"Are you alright, Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked her friend gently, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, Yoshino-san, yes, I'm fine, thank you. It just sort of shocked me," Yumi answered still somewhat in a daze. "I didn't think _anyone_ could see me as a good match for Sachiko-sama."

"Well, they aren't the only ones, Yumi-san," Yoshino said as she linked her arm with Yumi's and they started for the entry to the living room. "I also happen to think that you might be a good match for Sachiko-sama."

"Eh, why?" Yumi asked, real surprise in her voice and on her face.

"I'm not exactly sure just yet," Yoshino said, wanting to be truthful to her new friend. "Call it a feeling, or a hunch, but I know that Sachiko-sama seems to relax a bit more when you are around. And I've noticed her smiling a little more. You seem to be good for her." Yumi just looked at her in disbelief until Yoshino jabbed her with her free hand. "Come on, Yumi-san. They're waiting for us," she grinned.

-oo-

It became a bit of a habit for Yumi and Yoshino to meet in the Rose Mansion after rehearsals had been completed for the day and Sachiko-sama had left to return home. Rei was still trying to get in an hour or so of kendo practice at the school's dojo, so the two would spend the time drinking tea and talking about what had happened that day, about their families, or about life in general. It didn't take long for the two of them to become quite close. Yoshino also took the opportunity to try to make Yumi realize that she had a lot to offer Sachiko-sama, or anyone for that matter, as a petite soeur.

She also noticed that she wasn't the only one trying to bolster Yumi's self confidence. Both Youko-sama and Sei-sama did the same thing whenever they got the chance at the rehearsals. Even Eriko-sama said a few kind words to Yumi-san every now and then and praised her whenever she had the chance. It was like a conspiracy between the Roses to try to get Yumi-san to see herself as worthy of being Sachiko's petite soeur and Yoshino felt good about being a part of that conspiracy, even if only peripherally.

She found that she really liked being around Yumi. The girl was sweet, kind, and caring of everyone around her. And she listened! Not half-heartedly, not with just one ear, not simply out of courtesy; she really listened. The answers she gave when asked were always thoughtful and intelligent. At least when it was concerning others, she had a common sense wisdom that belied her simple, innocent appearance. It was for this reason, at least that's what she told herself, that Yoshino broached a particularly delicate subject with her new friend one afternoon.

"Hey, Yumi-san, um, could I ask you something kind of personal?"

"You can always ask, Yoshino-san," Yumi giggled, "although I reserve the right not to answer."

"Fair enough," Yoshino grinned back and then turned a bit pensive. "Um, what do you think of two girls falling in love with each other?"

"Eeehhh! Yoshino, you don't mean…"

"No, no, no! Not you Yumi-san! Sheesh!" Yoshino exclaimed, before taking a deep breath. "Where is your head today! Idiot. No, I just meant in general."

"Oh, oh, of course not," Yumi said as she calmed down. She took a relieved breath herself before answering. "Mmm, to be honest, I never really thought about it. Could I ask you for another cup of tea while I think?"

"S-sure," Yoshino replied. She stood up and moved over to the small set of cabinets where they made their tea, trying to surreptitiously keep an eye on Yumi as she thought. Sure enough, Yoshino could pretty much follow her line of thinking simply by watching the young girl's face as she poured out two fresh teacups. She could see deep concentration and a slight confusion, maybe a little bit of interest followed by a blush as Yumi was obviously imagining some form of ecchi scene. A couple of other emotions passed by almost too swiftly to catch as Yoshino set Yumi's cup down on the table in front of her. What relieved her so much was not what she saw, but what she didn't see! At no time did any expression of fear or disgust cross that cute visage.

"I'm sorry if I'm taking too long, Yoshino-chan," Yumi smiled up at her friend.

"No, that's alright. If I wanted a flippant or off-the cuff answer I wouldn't have bothered to ask you," Yoshino explained as she took a seat.

"Well then, I guess that, from my own perspective, as long as both girls truly love each other then it wouldn't matter to me," she shrugged. "They should be able to be with the one they love. What's more important is how they feel about each other, not how others feel about them. Does that make any sense?"

Yoshino sighed and gave Yumi a small smile. "It makes perfect sense, Yumi-san, especially coming from you. I should have known that you would never judge someone just because of who they might love." Yoshino wasn't sure exactly how _she_ felt about it yet, but hearing Yumi's thoughts made her feel a little better.

"So, did you have someone particular in mind?" Yumi grinned teasingly.

"Ah, I think I shall reserve the right not to answer that question," Yoshino laughed, followed very quickly by her friend.

In order to avoid going any further down a path which she was still hesitant to travel, Yoshino decided to ask a question on a completely different subject that she knew Yumi would have a definite answer for. "Has Sachiko-sama asked you to accept her rosary again yet?" she asked quietly.

Yumi sighed and looked deeply into the cup of tea cradled in her hands. "Yesterday."

"And?"

"And again I rejected her," Yumi responded quietly.

"Can I ask why? The two of you have gotten to know each other a bit now over the last week or so and I think Sachiko is starting to see you for who you are and not as a means to an end, so why are you still hesitant?" Yoshino asked even while hating to see the look of pain on her friend's face.

She watched again closely as Yumi thought about how to answer her. The two girls had become close since they met, and Yoshino knew Yumi wouldn't want to lie to her, but a slight grimace seemed to be saying that Yumi also knew that the truth would most likely result in another scolding. Still, Yumi elected to speak rather than to hold herself back or prevaricate.

"Tsutako-san once asked me why I didn't think that I would make a good petite soeur for someone. I told her that I see a soeur relationship as one that should be a two-way street; with both parties giving and receiving something special to one another. At the time I told her that I just didn't think that I have that much to offer to anyone." When Yoshino opened her mouth to protest, Yumi quickly continued. "I don't necessarily think that way anymore," she went on to say, forestalling Yoshino's outburst.

"I do hope and believe that someone out there might eventually find me worthy of their love and caring, just for me being who I am. I want to be able to walk next to my grande soeur hand-in-hand, neither taking too much nor giving too much, each receiving what they need from the other in equal measure. More like true partners as well as sisters…I don't know if I'm explaining this well or not."

"No, Yumi-san," Yoshino told her friend with a gentle smile, reaching over to lay her hand on top of Yumi's and taking it into her own. "I think you said it perfectly. I still think that you would make a wonderful petite soeur for Sachiko-sama, so I won't necessarily agree with you on that point, but I do understand how you feel."

_True partners, walking hand-in-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, supporting each other as equals._ Once again Yumi's quiet wisdom had given Yoshino something important to think about.

-oo-

The day after the end of the festival everyone made such a fuss about Yumi finally becoming Sachiko-sama's petite soeur, but the one person that Yumi really wanted to talk to about it wasn't in the room.

"Um, Rei-sama, Yoshino-san isn't here today?" she asked her best friend's cousin and grande soeur.

"She hasn't been feeling well since the festival," Rei said with more than a little bit of concern in her voice, "she has a fever that won't go away. She always gets ill after one of these events."

"Ah, do you think she would mind if I called her this evening?" Yumi asked, her own growing concern evident.

"I think that she would be very pleased, Yumi-chan," Rei smiled at her, "I know that she has taken a real liking to you."

"I like her too, Rei-sama," Yumi blushed. "Somehow, when I wasn't looking, she's suddenly become my best friend."

"I'm happy to hear that. I'm pretty sure she thinks of you the same way," Rei said as she gave the newest member of the Yamayurikai a hug. "She needs more friends like you, Yumi-chan. Please look after her."

"Of course, Rei-sama," Yumi smiled, returning the hug from the girl she knew her best friend was in love with, even if Yoshino didn't know it yet herself.

_Something tells me Rei-sama is in for a revelation…or maybe a revolution?_ Yumi grinned to herself.

* * *

><p>AN: Thanks for reading, everyone. As always, your reviews and/or comments would be greatly appreciated. I always love hearing from you :-)

Take care,

CX


	8. Fifty Shades of Yumi

(Sigh!) The things I put this poor girl through…

It is truly astonishing what a person will do when attempting to push past writer's block. Just as a reminder, I use this collection of one-shots and short stories to try to expand my skills into areas of writing that I might normally find somewhat…difficult for me. Therefore…

WARNING: In quasi-celebration of the release of the movie trailer, READ THE CHAPTER TITLE FOLKS! Enter at your own risk. And if you haven't heard of _Fifty Shades of Grey_ by E. L. James, I suggest you Wiki it before continuing.

And, as always, your comments and reviews will be gratefully appreciated. (^_^)

* * *

><p><strong>Fifty Shades of Yumi<strong>

_Turning the Tables_

Yumi's liquid brown eyes traversed up walls of the gleaming white apartment building and felt the need to swallow (okay, let's be real, she gulped) at what appeared to her to be the most opulent dwelling space she'd ever encountered.

"I never even knew a place like this _existed_ in Musashino," she whispered to herself, hearing the wonder in her own voice.

The building's facing wasn't stone, or even plaster or stucco. As the daughter of a professional architect with more than just a passing fancy for the subject herself her curiosity overrode her initial reluctance to approach the intimidating building.

_Oh, it's quartz crystals embedded in concrete…and they're interlocking pre-poured slabs, like puzzle pieces, how neat!_ "Wait! What am I doing?" Yumi shook her head vigorously and slapped her cheeks a couple of times. "I'm not here to admire the architecture, no matter how nice it might be," she sighed and then felt her previously forgotten nervousness return with the force of a pile driver, "I can't be late for my dinner with Sei-sama!"

-oo-

Yumi hadn't been home from school more than five minutes before the house phone rang. In fact, she'd been right in the middle of changing out of her uniform and into some more comfortable clothes when her brother knocked on her bedroom door.

"Yumi, you've got a phone call," Yuuki called through the closed door, ratcheting Yumi's heart rate up about three hundred percent when the very first image that entered her mind was of a certain black haired, sapphire-eyed temptress.

"I-is it onee-sama?" she squeaked.

"No," her brother laughed at her voice, "I think it's the other one, the flirt?"

"Sei-sama?" Yumi asked, her voice now exuding her confusion.

"If that's her name," Yuuki replied and she could easily imagine his shoulders shrugging as he allowed a touch of his own exasperation to come through. "Why don't you answer the phone and find out for yourself, dork."

"I'll dork you," Yumi laughed as she opened the door to take the phone her brother held out to her.

"Yeah, sure you will. Promises, promises," Yuuki smirked. "By the way," he grinned lasciviously as his eyes raked her from hips to shoulders, "nice underwear. I didn't even know you owned anything that sheer. Might as well be naked."

"YUUKI!" Yumi screamed at him as she slammed the door in his face. In her confusion and worry that maybe she had forgotten something that her Onee-sama had wanted her to do, she'd completely forgotten that she'd been in the middle of changing. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Yumi put her ear to the phone only to hear a very familiar throaty chuckle.

"Sei-sama?"

"Did I really just hear that you were flashing your brother, Yumi-chan? How shameful," the older blonde's teasing voice came through loud and clear. "And here I thought you were the very picture of purity and innocence."

"It, it was an accident!"

"Sure it was. Sure it was," Sei said, and Yumi could easily hear the sarcastic disbelief in her senior's voice. "Hm, twincest. You're so much kinkier than I had ever imagined, Yumi-chan."

"Sei-samaaaaaaa!"

-oo-

As soon as Yumi walked through the lobby's revolving door she was accosted by a uniformed security guard.

"May I help you, ojou-sama," he asked. Despite the politeness of his words, Yumi could hear the underlying derision. She frowned. Sure, she'd worn a jean skirt and a thin sweater, but they were clean and relatively new, so she felt there was no call for his disdainful attitude. Pulling her shoulders back slightly and standing up to her full height – which, granted, wasn't all that tall, but it was the principle of the thing – she looked the guard square in the eye.

"I'm here to see Satou Sei-sama. She is expecting me. The name is Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa Yumi." She said this in a very sweet, naïve voice and was pleased to see his eyebrows rise and his face pale somewhat before he suddenly became _extremely_ polite.

"O-of course, Fukuzawa-sama. Satou-sama informed me you would be visiting," he stumbled all over himself, literally tripping in his haste to usher her to a bank of elevators, bowing his head the entire way. He led her to the one furthest from the door. The man then pulled out a keychain and inserted an oddly shaped key into a slot below one of the call buttons. The doors dinged open and, as Yumi entered the cab, the guard reached inside and pressed the only button available, again nearly falling in his haste. "Please, enjoy your visit Fukuzawa-sama. If there's anything you need, anything at all, all you have to do is call the operator and we'll bring it up to you."

Yumi couldn't help herself as a sly smile crossed her features. Just as the doors were closing she told him, "Thank you. I'll be sure to let Sei-sama know just how _helpful_ and _polite_ you were when I first arrived." Her last vision was of the guard cringing at her words and she couldn't help but grin somewhat evilly.

The elevator moved relatively quickly which wasn't much of a surprise for a building like this. What _did_ surprise her when the doors opened was that they didn't open onto a hallway. No, they opened onto the white and rose granite floored foyer of the building's penthouse. The brunette's chin dropped and her eyes widened in shock. Only when the elevator's doors started to close again did she remember her place and jump from the cab, the doors slamming open again as she broke some hidden infrared beam before finally closing with an almost silent whisper of exquisitely maintained mechanics and hydraulics.

"Is that you, Yumi-chan?" Sei's fuzzy contralto voice came from somewhere within the spacious, open interior. Before she could even open her mouth to call out a reply, the voice came again, slowly moving closer. "I hope the guard didn't give you any trouble. He's not too bad most of the time, but there are days when he can be an absolute prick…oh, hey there Yumi-chan," the older girl smiled broadly as she came out from behind what appeared to be a free-standing brick fireplace that separated the living area from the kitchen. At least Yumi assumed it was the kitchen since Sei arrived carrying two glasses, one in each hand, and presented one to Yumi while taking a sip from the other. "Is that wide-eyed shock for the place or for me my little Yumi-chan," the grey-eyed Sei asked with a smarmy grin.

Yumi shook her head and took a pull on the liquid in the glass, only to immediately do her best to cough it right back up again as it burned like fire down her throat. A quick glance at the offending glass - once she'd regained her senses with a very contrite Sei patting her back - was enough to explain her reaction.

"Rosa Gigantea! Are you trying to kill me!" she squeaked. "What _is_ this?"

"Of course, I'm not trying to kill you," Sei replied with a sensuous laugh, not sounding apologetic in the least. "Get you drunk enough to seduce you, maybe," she grinned again, "but certainly not kill you."

"You'd need to do more than ply me with whisky for that to ever happen, Sei-sama," Yumi scowled and handed the glass back. "Now, may I please have a glass of water?"

"Ah, you're no fun, Yumi-chan," the tall blonde laughed, but grabbed the younger girl's hand to drag her through the living room and into the kitchen area.

"We obviously have very different definitions of what constitutes fun, Sei-sama," Yumi groused as she allowed herself to be led.

"Probably," Sei grinned back, her eyes holding even more of their typical mischief while not deigning to expand upon her cryptic reply. Yumi decided to let it go…for now.

Yumi looked around the apartment as she took the glass her senior handed her and took a sip. It was definitely an open-style architecture. The living room flowed directly into the kitchen and there was a separate space holding a dining table that would easily seat ten people. There were no walls between any of these spaces. The only physical demarcation was a bar-like countertop with tall seats between the kitchen and a portion of the living room that was anchored on one side by the free-standing fireplace. Most of the outside walls were made of floor to ceiling glass that looked out on a balcony with a gorgeous view of the city that appeared to run the full length of the apartment. A glass door allowed access to the balcony. Yumi's mind was already imagining the multitude of possibilities.

The interior walls were mostly painted white, although she could see two that had been painted in accent colors; one burgundy and the other a deep purple that was very nearly black. The furniture was all modern and mostly of light colored leather and wood that stood as stark contrast to the deep redwood hardwood flooring. Only the foyer area just inside the elevator doors was tiled in the white and rose colored granite, although that theme was carried over into the kitchen's granite countertops. Overall it was very stylish, very luxurious…and very sterile.

The kitchen at least looked lived in, with a dirty plate and cup in the sink and a few spots on the stove where it looked like something, maybe marinara sauce, had splattered, but the rest of the apartment looked like it was right out of an architectural digest magazine.

"You live here with your parents, Sei-sama?" she asked, not really out of curiosity, but just to confirm her suspicions.

"Yeah," the older girl replied with a small smile as she ran a hand through her hair, an affectation that Yumi had already determined meant Sei was a bit uncomfortable with the subject, "but they're away on a business trip right now. As usual."

The last two words were spoken much more softly and with her head turned away, as if she hadn't planned for Yumi to hear her. She decided that she hadn't.

"So these," Yumi indicated the living and dining areas with a sweep of her arm, "are their areas of the apartment. Where are yours, Sei-sama? I don't see you living here in this…"

"Clean room?" the older girl finished for her with an embarrassed grin. "I live mostly in my bedroom and my playroom."

Yumi just looked at her with her innocence, and anticipation, on full display.

"Um, did you want to see them?"

"Yes!" Yumi clapped with glee, which wasn't necessarily her best move since she was still holding the glass of water. A good quarter of the liquid ended up on the floor. "Eeep!" she squeaked again and jumped to pull out a towel from where it hung haphazardly from the oven door handle. "I'm so sorry. I'll clean this up immediately!" Her foot slipped in the water and she landed hard on her butt on the hardwood floor. Of course the skirt she'd chosen to wear ended up around her hips and her frilly pink underwear was on full display. She quickly covered herself as Sei first gawked and then guffawed at her antics. "It's not funny, Sei-sama!" Yumi shrieked, her face turning flaming red which only emboldened Sei to laugh harder.

"Well," Sei gasped as she tried to regain control, "at least you don't need to use the towel anymore."

"Hmmf!" Yumi pouted, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.

"Oh, come on, Yumi-chan! You have to admit it was funny," Sei chuckled, holding out a hand to help the girl get back to her feet. Yumi at first looked askance at the offer, but then took hold of the tall girl's hand and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet, making sure that her skirt was in its proper position the entire way.

"Thank you, Sei-sama," she said softly.

"You're very welcome, Yumi-chan, but I don't think it would be a good idea for you to sit around in wet panties. If you'll take them off, I'll wash and dry them for you so you can wear them home tonight."

"You just want to get me half-naked," the brunette grumped, but saw that Sei really was concerned for her, even if more than half of her desire was to hopefully catch a glimpse of what Yumi had beneath her panties. Still scowling, she put her hands beneath her skirt and pulled her wet underwear down so that she could step out of it. As she started to hand them to her hostess she quickly pulled them back, saying, "if you _sniff_ them I'm going to hit you and then leave. Wet panties or no."

"I'd never…," Sei started to categorically deny the charge, and then stopped in mid-stream and obviously thought about it again. "Well, maybe…" she grinned.

"Thought so," Yumi nodded and let out another hmmf, but couldn't keep from grinning herself as she handed over the wet garment. Sometimes Sei-sama could just look too cute.

The older blonde led Yumi down a hallway to the right of the kitchen, past doors to both right and left, until they came to the last door on the right where the hallway made a left turn. Throwing open the door, Sei made a dramatic gesture.

"Welcome, Yumi-chan, to my humble abode," she said with a flourish.

"Well, at least it's not your parlor and I'm not a fly," the brown-eyed teen giggled, stepping through the door.

The room was large, as expected of the penthouse of such a decadent building. But that wasn't what first caught her eye. No, it was the clothes strewn all over the floor. It looked like a tornado had come through at some point. The bed was also unmade, the desk covered by books, papers, and both empty and partially full glasses and bottles of various drinks. A plate of…something sat on one corner of the desk looking like a puff of air (or the weight of a single cockroach) would send it tumbling to the floor.

Yumi shuddered at the filth.

"Sei-sama," she said slowly, "please don't take this the wrong way, but I think I'll wait to wash my underwear when I get home."

"No! No, we can't have that," the older girl exclaimed, scurrying around the room to first find a laundry basket and then dumping its contents on her bed just so that she could start filling it again with the clothes lying here and there on the floor. "I'll run a load of my own stuff at the same time. You can even watch me put the laundry detergent in."

"I hope you plan on separating out colors from whites at least," Yumi sighed, reaching down to help gather up the dirty clothing.

"Huh?"

"Maria-sama, please guide me," Yumi prayed to the heavens above the ceiling, where she noted heavy hooks had been installed. "What are these for?" she asked, pointing to the hooks embedded professionally into the plastered ceiling.

"What?" Sei asked and then looked to where Yumi was pointing. "Oh, I – I sometimes decorate for the holidays. You know, put up strings of colored lights or hang decorations, that kind of thing."

"Uh-huh," Yumi nodded seemingly in understanding, but not believing a word.

"Um, do you want to come with me and watch me start the laundry?" Sei asked as she headed toward the bedroom door.

"Since they're pink already, I guess I'll trust you, Sei-sama," Yumi chuckled. "I'll just wait here until you get back. With a nod the tall blonde left, leaving the door open behind her. Yumi quickly glanced around the room. Standing at the bedroom door and looking to her left, there was a door on the far wall that was partially open such that she could see a bathroom beyond. The mirrored sliding doors of a closet were in the wall to her right. Another door was further along the same wall as the door they'd entered. Without a single hesitation she went to the door and slowly opened it.

"Not even locked," she tsked as she looked inside to find Sei's playroom. A barely restrained grin slowly crept upon her lips and her eyes sparkled with delight at all the toys and games available.

_This is going to be more fun than I thought._

-oo-

_Oh my god! Why didn't I at least clean up my room? Shit! Shit!_ _Shit! I'm so fucking embarrassed! Stupid, stupid Sei-chan!_

Sei chided herself all the way to the laundry room and all the way through separating out the lights from the darks – yes, she actually does know how to do the laundry, she was just teasing Yumi – throwing the lights into the washer along with Yumi's light pink panties. Just before she threw that last pair in she stopped herself, grinned mischievously, and then brought the panties to her nose.

_Ah, Yumi-chan's scent. It's peachy, but with an undercurrent of musk. Delicious!_

With great reluctance she threw the panties into the wash, closed the door, turned the dial and then pushed the button. As water started filling the machine she poured a small cupful of detergent into the separate dispenser. That done, she made her way back to her room to find that Yumi had continued to clean the room. She'd found Sei's trash can and dumped most of the detritus from her desk into it to be sorted later, but she hadn't moved the actual papers on the desk. _Smart girl._ At the moment she was folding the clothes Sei had dumped on her bed, shaking her head as she did so.

"Really, Sei-sama," the brunette scolded her, "even if you're living alone…no, _especially_ if you're living alone, you need to try to keep things as clean as possible. You never know if someone's going to stop by or if there's a fire and the firemen are going to see your floor covered in," she held up a certain pair of red lace panties and the matching bra, "your scandalous lingerie!"

The current Rosa Chinensis en Bouton glanced at the size tag on the bra, deliberately turned her eyes toward Sei's chest and then raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I'm still a growing girl!" Sei shrieked, rushing across the room to grab the offending articles of clothing and shoving them in one of her dresser drawers.

"Sure you are. And I'm eventually going to be forced to wear a triple-F cup," the tiny girl scoffed. "Keep dreaming Sei-sama."

_Wait, when did the tables get turned?_ Sei suddenly began to wonder. She'd invited Yumi over for dinner in the hopes that she could somehow seduce her little dinosaur. She might be Sachiko-chan's petite sœur, but they weren't actually dating and as far as Sei was concerned that meant Yumi-chan was still fair game. She glanced out the corner of her eye to see Yumi still sitting on her bed, chiding her all the while as she seemed immune to the sexy unmentionables she was dexterously sorting and folding as if she saw lacey underthings every day. The brunette's skirt had ridden up a bit, nearly to mid-thigh, but her legs were firmly closed. _Damn! It might have been fortuitous, yet somehow I got her out of her panties, but what do I do now? It's like she's taken over the dominant role that's supposed to be mine. How did this happen?_ Sei shook herself and squared her shoulders.

_Time to turn the tables back again._

"Yumi-chan, you don't need to do that," Sei grinned her famous grin as she walked closer to the younger girl. "I'll get to that later."

"Oh, you don't want to have a clean bed in which to sleep, Rosa Gigantea?" the pigtailed girl replied with a grin of her own, never once raising her eyes from her task. "By the way, I'd been meaning to ask you? What's that thing on your wall?" she asked with a nod of her head.

Sei turned around to look quizzically at the spot Yumi had indicated.

Her right wrist was grasped in a strong grip and she heard a ratcheting sound and felt cold metal. Even before she had a chance to turn around, her left wrist was similarly held.

_What the…? Where the hell…? How did she…?_

Sei spun around, her wrists firmly handcuffed behind her back only to see Yumi giving her a smirk that that would have even done Sei herself proud.

"I found your 'playroom' Sei," Yumi chuckled in a low, velvety voice that was very un-Yumi like and sent a shiver straight down the blonde's spine; a shiver that terminated in a spot just slightly above the apex of her thighs and nearly buckled her knees. The formerly 'pure' and 'innocent' Yumi-chan reached out a leg and hooked it behind one of Sei's. One quick jerk and the blonde's knees hit the carpet.

Mouth gaping in shock and astonishment, the overly flirtatious and only avowed lesbian of Lillian Girls' Academy looked up into fathomless brown eyes that laughingly stole every iota of her towering dominance and control. "You know you've been a very bad girl this evening, Sei-chan," the younger girl lightly scolded. "First you invite me over, obviously with less than pure intentions in mind, then you try to ply me with liquor – and not even a nice single-malt I might add, you could have at least made it a decent Yamazaki – in a childish attempt to get me drunk," she shook her head as if speaking with a singularly dense child, "and I had such high hopes for you. You've really let me down, Sei-chan," she tsked.

The new diminutive honorific was not lost on the older girl. Nor was the sudden feeling of deserving every bit of Yumi's scorn. It had been an extremely childish attempt. The fact that it had worked on other girls didn't make it any less crass. Sei was ashamed of herself. Instead of answering directly she hung her head and sat on her heels.

Maybe sensing the blonde's contriteness, the small scowl on Yumi's lips departed to be replaced by a smirk as she leaned back on the bed, crossing her feet at the ankles. "I think I like you like this, Sei-chan," Yumi growled softly, "on your knees in front of me, having to look up at me. It seems that the shoe's on the other foot this time. Speaking of which," Yumi's grin turned positively lust-worthy as she used the toe of her left foot to slip her right shoe off leaving only her short white sock. The Lillian school uniform included a rather plain white sock long enough to roll the top down twice. The current Rosa Gigantea hadn't noticed, but the pair Yumi was currently wearing was considerably thinner, almost translucent, with small ruffles at the top. Her eyes could easily discern the younger girl's painted toe nails through the sheer material.

Sei licked her lips as a shudder ran through her at the sight of the lightly clad foot. She'd never really considered that she might have any kind of a foot fetish, but the sight of those cute, slender toes had her catching her breath. Was this really her little Yumi? The young girl she'd intended to seduce this evening?

The now completely dominant brunette lifted her pale, slender foot and put it just a few centimeters in front of Sei's face. The pigtailed girl didn't say a word. All she did was smile and wait.

The grey-eyed Sei gulped, then leaned forward and, using just her teeth, she pulled the sock from Yumi's foot. Even as she did so her senses were filled with the clean, heady scent of peach and jasmine. A quick glance showed that her junior (?) appeared to still be waiting for something else, so Sei placed a small kiss on the arch of that small, slender foot. Without raising her head, Sei lifted her eyes to see that smile still plastered on pink lips – still waiting. She kissed Yumi's sole, and then tentatively stuck out her tongue to draw a line from the heel to the ball of Yumi's foot.

"Good girl," Rosa Chinensis en Bouton softly praised her. Sei couldn't understand the sudden flush of happiness that flowed gently through her at the sound of those two simple words. When was the last time someone had told her she'd been a good girl? Sadly, she couldn't remember. However, her sudden bout of happiness was all too short-lived.

"And here you'd planned on being so naughty," Yumi laughed lowly as Sei cringed at the soft rebuke. The foot in front of her dipped and tilted forward slightly, inviting Sei to take those enticing toes between her lips. "Heck, I even bruised my bum to give you a chance to get my panties off," Yumi continued teasingly. She then moved her leg oh so slightly to the right. Not enough to give Sei a real glimpse up her skirt, only enough to quicken her breath.

Sei moaned softly as her tongue slipped between Yumi's toes. She slowly sucked each one, running her tongue between and curling it around each individual toe as she lapped up the younger woman's essence. She found herself trying to be both gentle and yet, at the same time, treat each little toe as if it were a much different part of the female body. She didn't dare go so far as to scrape her teeth along their length, but she sucked each tiny digit and gave the ends a flick of her tongue.

Yumi leaned forward, the movement catching Sei's eyes and she glanced up without stopping her worship of Yumi's foot.

"But that would have been very naughty indeed, Sei-chan," Yumi spoke softly, barely above a whisper, and the sorrow and disappointment in that voice scattered every last shred of happiness that Sei had felt. She felt so ashamed. "No, that wouldn't have been nice at all."

The grey-eyed girl stopped her actions and sat back on her haunches, afraid to look up into those deep brown eyes. Afraid of what she might see. The thought that Yumi might be truly disappointed felt like a punch to the gut. "I-I'm so sorry, Yu…." Her mouth snapped shut as she noted in her peripheral vision the much smaller girl's head tilt to the side and she just _looked_ at Sei.

_No! No, I can't call her Yumi-chan! She'll just get angry! I don't want her any more upset with me! _Sei thought quickly. Her mind raced, but she already knew that there was only one thing she could do.

"I'm sorry…Mistress," she whispered and ducked her head subserviently.

"Much better, Sei-chan," Yumi smiled at her and it was like the sun coming out from behind clouds. "But still," Sei cringed, "you do know that bad little girls need to be punished, don't you Sei-chan?"

"Y-yes, Mistress," Sei replied breathily.

"Hmm," the younger girl mused teasingly, using her now naked right foot to slip the shoe off her left. She then switched the foot dangling enticingly in front of Sei's face. "I wonder what kind of punishment would be proper for such poor behavior." While her mistress pondered the question, Sei proceeded to treat this foot in the same manner as the other. While hoping to elicit at least some recognition of her efforts, Yumi remained singularly indifferent. The knock to her ego was devastating. As she redoubled her labors, lavishing those petite toes with her adoration, Yumi suddenly stood and placed a gentle finger beneath Sei's chin. Just the tiniest amount of pressure brought the taller girl to her feet.

"Why don't we take this into your 'playroom,' Sei-chan. What do you think? Would you like that?"

"Of course, Mistress," Sei blushed.

Yumi reached around behind her and Sei felt those small hands grasp the interlocking chain of the cuffs. A small pull had Sei turning in place until she found herself facing the closed door to her playroom.

"Imagine my surprise when I just happened to look into this room," Yumi said and Sei could hear the teasing in her voice as she started to walk her slowly across the room. Teasing she could handle. It was the disappointment that was heartrending. "I mean, it's really somewhat amateurish." Yumi reached around from behind her to turn the knob on the door and push it open, revealing the darkly painted walls, dim red lighting, and dark vinyl mats on the floor. Hangers and mounts on two of the walls held her small collection of toys while spaced neatly around the immaculately clean room were various pieces of equipment. A short whip, a riding crop, a cat o' nine tails, chains with soft leather wrist restraints anchored to the wall, ball gags and blindfolds, a futon mattress with straps and bindings sewn at each corner; looking at it afresh through Yumi's eyes she could see the truth in the her mistress' statement. In comparison to some of the things she'd seen on the web or in magazines, it really was somewhat amateurish. Shame flowed through her and she ducked her head yet again.

"Although it's not really all that bad," Yumi sighed, leading Sei to an armless leather chair that had originally been in her bedroom, but now sat directly in the middle of her playroom. Yumi moved around in front of her and took a seat in the chair and looked up at her expectantly. When Sei didn't immediately move, not understanding what it was her mistress desired of her, Yumi sighed and shook her head. "But you really do need to be properly trained, Sei-chan," she sighed again. "Sei," the small girl looked up at her, those expressive brown eyes piercing her own like twin daggers, "assume the position for your punishment," Yumi told her, patting her lap.

Understanding hit her like a bowling ball and Sei quickly moved to the side of the chair. She then slowly, so as not to fall and possibly hurt Yumi, lowered herself so that she was stretched across the smaller girl's lap, her head hanging down on one side, her feet on the other, and her jeans-clad butt centered over Yumi's bare legs.

"Better, but not quite good enough," Yumi chuckled again and then reached beneath Sei to quickly, and expertly, undo the button and zipper to her jeans. Before she knew what was happening, Sei's pants and underwear were down around her knees. There was no way for her to hide her flush of mixed shame and arousal.

"That's much better," Yumi giggled as Sei squirmed in embarrassment on her lap. A quick slap to one of her pale, naked butt cheeks was all it took to freeze her in place. The spank wasn't even enough to sting, but it was enough to force her to pay attention. And when that hand started to slowly rub that same cheek she very nearly moaned in pleasure.

Sei had been the provider of very similar slaps and spanks to the few girls she'd played with since Shiori had left her, but this was the first time she'd been on the receiving end and she was greatly shocked at how good it felt to be dominated. Even the knowledge that she was going to be thoroughly spanked brought no fear with it, only exciting anticipation.

The tables had been well and truly turned on her.

Smack!

The surprise, more than the sudden onslaught of stinging pain, caused Sei to yelp.

"You know, Sei-chan," Yumi said quietly but with complete confidence, "Okāsama didn't raise no fools."

Smack! That one had been much harder. Sei bit her lip to try to keep from crying out.

"You see, I've been at this a lot longer than you have, Sei-chan."

Smack!

"Mistress Miki started teaching me when I turned eleven."

Smack!

"She even let me watch as she disciplined Otōsan and Yuuki-kun."

Smack!

Sei did her best to swallow a whimper. Each slap had been getting progressively sharper and harder, alternating between cheeks. She could already feel the burning sensation radiating from her butt.

Smack! Smack!

The double swat surprised her into a soft mew that combined equal measures of pain and desire.

"In fact, it was only two years ago that Okāsama allowed me to discipline her."

Smack! Smack!

"She was surprised at how much she enjoyed it. You'd be surprised at how easily a Domme can turn into a switch, or even a sub."

Smack! Smack! Smack!

"Then again," Yumi giggled, applying another couple of heavy swats to Sei's rear, "maybe you can believe how easy it can be…now."

Smack! Smack! _Pop!_

Sei yelped on that last swat. It was as if her mistress had just been getting warmed up and was now ready for the real thing.

_Smack! Smack! Smack!_

She couldn't help it. Sei squirmed again under those unrelenting blows.

"But what is this?" Yumi laughed, seeming to take a break from the punishment. The next thing Sei knew, Yumi had placed her hand in front of Sei's face. The brunette rubbed her thumb against her first two fingers and to Sei's complete mortification she saw a pale, sticky liquid adorning those digits.

_Oh, God! I'm…wet?_

Her face flushed a bright red and she dropped her head in shame, but Yumi's next words were soft and understanding.

"Oh, Sei-chan, it's all right. You don't have to worry about something like this," she crooned knowingly as she continued to rub Sei's essence between her fingers. "In fact it's quite natural." The fingers moved and Sei's eyes followed along, unable to look away as Yumi brought those fingers up to her face and slipped them between her own lips. "Mmm, delicious, Sei-chan," the younger girl smiled and licked her lips.

Sei found herself licking her own lips as she saw her mistress slowly and sensuously taking in her juices. Yumi then reached down again and Sei couldn't keep from moaning aloud as she felt those small fingers delving between her nether lips. Even as she shuddered from that soft touch, Yumi once again brought her now dripping fingers in front of Sei's face.

"Try it, Sei-chan. You really are delicious."

Sei slowly, tentatively opened her mouth. Her mistress slid those two fingers between her lips and for the first time in her life, Sei tasted herself.

Yumi must have been waiting for her to close her eyes as she savored her own flavor.

SMACK!

Sei yelped in surprise and shock, her eyes flying open at the unexpected pain…and the accompanying pleasure as she now felt the wetness between her legs growing.

"Don't get complacent just yet, pet," Yumi chuckled. "We're nowhere near done for the evening."

"Y-yes, Mistress," Sei stammered. "Th-thank you, Mistress."

Yumi continued to spank her, and Sei continued to gush her essence onto her mistress' bare legs as the pressure in her core built higher and higher with every swat. Whimpers turned into moans which turned into cries and then screams.

"Not yet, pet," Yumi crooned to her. "Not just yet. You don't get to come until I say you can. Understand?"

"YES, MISTRESS!" Sei screamed out as another painful yet pleasure-filled slap landed between her butt cheeks. Sei was panting, unable to catch her breath as a result of the excruciating pleasure. Yumi had taken her to the edge over and over again, but had not allowed her to make the leap into orgasm, drawing her back from the edge with gentle touches and rubs or simply stopping for a moment until the pressure eased. Never in her life had she felt such a need, such a burning desire, such a desperation, but she had no control over her own body. Only her mistress held the reins to her ultimate release, and she held onto them with an exquisite ruthlessness that had Sei begging for that release.

"Please," she whimpered as Yumi once again slowed her ministrations. "Please Mistress!" she panted beseechingly. "Oh, please."

Her mistress bent over her and pressed lips to Sei's ear, her soft breath nearly the catalyst to the release she so craved.

"Please?"

"Oh, yes, please, please, I beg you, Mistress!"

"Then…now," her mistress whispered with a grin…and flicked her clit.

Despite the soundproofing that had been built into the walls, floor, and ceiling of her playroom, Sei was sure that her screams of orgasmic ecstasy could be heard throughout the building. Again, and again, and again, waves of pleasure tortured her convulsing body and left her mind enveloped in a white haze of bestial rapture.

-oo-

Yumi sat cross-legged on the end of the soft futon mattress in Sei's playroom, her back up against one wall as she watched her newest pet's bare breasts rise and fall within the healing depths of a well-earned sleep. The two had 'played' for nearly an hour after Sei's punishment. Yumi had been correct in assuming that there was at least one nice section of the apartment's balcony that afforded a wonderful view of the city while also being obscured from potentially over-observant eyes. A little forced exhibitionism had gone a long way toward establishing proper roles.

Now, Sei's head lay in her lap as Yumi ran gentle fingers through her fine hair with one hand while she laid her other hand, the one she'd spanked Sei with, on a cloth wrapped bag of ice. It said something about the turn in the situation that, before Sei had succumbed to sleep, even though her face was turned toward Yumi's tummy, she hadn't once attempted to take a peek up Yumi's skirt.

In fact, Sei-chan had acted, and reacted, just as Yumi had hoped when she'd first planned out their entire evening.

The preparation had taken months, but Sei had finally provided an opening by inviting Yumi over to her place for dinner. Every single occurrence after that was completely within Yumi's control, whether Sei knew it or not. Every move, every action, every word spoken, every expression on her face and in her eyes had been carefully calculated to bring about this exact result. She'd heard rumors about Sei's playroom from some of her classmates and had decided that she needed to learn more about the place…and about the older girl herself. The fact that she'd so willingly accepted the sub role answered any number of questions she'd had about the blonde.

Yumi doubted that Sei had ever really been a Domme. The older girl had the attitude, but the pain lurking behind those soft grey eyes had betrayed her inner turmoil and feelings of inadequacy. As far as Yumi was concerned it was entirely that bitch Shiori's fault. From the stories she'd heard, Shiori had really done a number on Sei's confidence and feelings of self-worth, although her uncaring parents shouldered just as much blame. Watching the older girl walk around acting so happy when she was crying on the inside had made Yumi determined to help her in any way she could. Tonight was just the first step on what would most likely be a long road of healing.

But Sei-chan was eminently worth the effort.

"Thank you Okāsama," Yumi whispered.

It wasn't the first time she had thanked her mother for teaching her the healing powers of a loving BDSM relationship. It wasn't all whips and chains, pleasure and pain. No, it wasn't about any of those things, at least not completely. True BDSM is about love and respect – for both yourself and your partner – and communicating those feelings that are beyond words.

And Yumi had plenty of love to share.

Her stomach chose that very moment to growl loudly.

"Damn. I forgot all about dinner!" She glanced down at the serene face of the girl sleeping in her lap and smiled, her hunger forgotten. It wouldn't be the first meal she'd missed for a good reason. And a healthy and happy Sei-chan was worth missing a few meals. Maybe she could 'whip' something up for the two of them once Sei awoke.

Yumi glanced once more around the playroom. There were just so many things that should have been there but were missing. A first aid kit, surgical sheers in case ropes couldn't be untied swiftly enough, balms and lotions to soothe aching and abraded skin, "even her ropes haven't been properly treated," she sighed and then leaned forward enough to place a loving kiss on Sei's head. "Don't worry pet, we'll get you set up properly. You have much to learn, but I'm a patient teacher. By the time I'm done with you that bitch won't be anything but a fading memory. We'll find someone much better for you. Someone who can appreciate the loving woman you are." A thought occurred to her and Yumi smiled a wicked smile.

"Maybe Youko-chan? Hmm, what do you think of that, pet?" she laughed softly, giving Sei another kiss. "Would you like that?"

Sei just smiled in her blissful sleep – truly happy for the first time in a long, long while.


End file.
